


Impossible Love

by SirJoker



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Comedy, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-18 16:04:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 38,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21530236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SirJoker/pseuds/SirJoker
Summary: The universe decides to help the lonely John “The Doctor” Smith find a girlfriend by sending him a fairy godmother, The Impossible Girl.
Relationships: Twelfth Doctor & Clara Oswin Oswald, Twelfth Doctor/Clara Oswin Oswald
Comments: 208
Kudos: 118





	1. Chapter 1

Bills Potts had known her the Doctor for what, two years now since she and her foster mother first moved into the flat above the shop next to his.

She always thought that the owner of the guitar shop was a bit eccentric and this was coming from an eleven-year-old. Nonetheless, he was kind… once you get to know him a bit better. Behind those 'attack eyebrows', as she likes to refer to them, is a big softie. What piqued her curiosity, however, was the fact that the man doesn't seem to have any friends, well, aside from herself that is.

She knows that he lives alone and barely interacts with anybody. It was strange. Nobody is ever that lonely.

"What are you planning for Valentine's day tomorrow?" the eleven-year-old asked one rainy day. It was a routine of hers to spend time at the shop while waiting for her mother to return from work. She was seated by a desk behind the cashier, finishing her homework.

John Smith looked up from the book he was reading. "Same thing I'm doing today – manning the shop and hoping a customer would show up and buy something," he retorted. It was a slow day today at his guitar shop. The only sale he managed to make so far was from a child who bought a guitar pick. "Oh yes, and baby-sitting you tomorrow."

Bill set down her pencil. "That doesn't count since my mum will pick me up at half-seven – what are you going to do then?"

He shot her an annoyed look. "Aren't you a bit young to be telling me to go look for a date?"

"Aren't you too old to be spending Valentine's Day alone?" she shot back with a triumphant grin. "Don't you ever feel lonely?" she inquired in curiosity. The schoolgirl had noticed that the man only ever interacted with her and any customer that came in. She also realised that he spent Christmas alone.

John shrugged, returning to his book. "You get used to it."

"I saw this one film and the main character eventually became insane from loneliness."

"I'm sure you made that up on the spot and besides," he added. "I'm not completely lonely – I talk to you and your mum.

"Doesn't count, Doctor," Bill stated. "You should get a pet or a best friend or even better, a girlfriend!"

"I think a schoolteacher would suit you."

The Scotsman sighed, lowering the book he held. "Just finish your homework, Bill."

"Mum has Tinder," she tried once more. "Maybe you should download the app and meet someone new – that's how she met Steve."

The Doctor arched a brow. He's far too old for that sort of nonsense and has no intention of even checking the application. John couldn't believe that he was in an argument about relationships with a child.

"Don't you ever feel lonely?"

John remained silent for a few seconds before he chuckled. "I'm guessing that you're bored with your homework?"

Bill shrugged. "I finished it and even if you don't feel lonely, you seem to be rubbish at it."

For starters, his shop was disorganised and it confused her how he was able to find anything that a customer was looking for. Two, he almost always eats takeaway. Three, if it's not takeaway, it's frozen food. How did she know? Easy. She once saw his groceries being delivered and was sure that most of the food that he bought was unhealthy. Four, he well, is grumpy all the time. That's not good.

The Doctor checked the time. Her mother would pick her up anytime now and he would be freed from the eleven-year-old's grilling. She had been asking him the same thing over and over for the past what, four, five months now.

The bell by the entrance chimed and both turned their heads to the source of the noise. "Another interrogation session by DCI Bill Potts?" Moira inquired in amusement.

"It was definitely a pleasant experience," he remarked sarcastically, finally returning to the book he had been reading.

"I just think he should socialise more with the outside world," the child explained as she adjusted her backpack and stood next to her mother.

"Didn't I say it's rude to stick your nose into other people's business?"

"But this is the Doctor and he's not other people."

Moira shook her head in defeat. "Thank you for babysitting her, mate."

"See you tomorrow, Doctor."

"Only if you stop asking the same question."

Bill merely giggled as she and her mother left the shop.

Once they were out of sight, John shut his book and checked the time again. It's closing time.

He's not as miserable as he seemed. Sure, living all alone as he is can be intimidating at times, but on the bright side, he doesn't have to deal with another human. That's a pro.

He pouted his lips. "I'm not lonely," he said out loud even though deep down, he knew the truth. There were times he wished he had someone to talk to. He had been living like this for quite a long time and if he dared to admit, it was getting to him.

\-- 

"Wake up."

John stirred in his sleep before he rolled over, groaning something inaudible.

"I said wake up."

He had never heard that voice before and with such a bossy tone at that. This must be some sort of strange dream. It's unlikely that someone broke into his flat. Why would they in the first place. The Doctor slowly opened his eyes and adjusted to the brightness before he saw a woman with a round face standing next to him, arms crossed.

Naturally, his first instinct was to jump away from the stranger.

"How the hell did you get in?" he demanded groggily, nearly falling off the mattress.

The woman smiled. "By magic, duh," she replied.

He blinked several times, making sure he wasn't imagining her existence. "There's no such thing as magic," he growled. "Get out of my flat!"

He was sure that a homeless woman had just broken into his home, despite her presentable appearance.

"Is that really how you greet your fairy godmother?" she asked, arching a brow. "The Impossible Girl – nice to meet you."

Fantastic. A homeless lunatic broke into his home.

"Could you please just… I don't know," he grumbled pinching the bridge of his nose. "Bother somebody else."

The Impossible Girl had lost count how many times people had thought she was an escaped mental asylum patient. "I can't whether you want me to or not."

He paused for a second and climbed out of bed before reaching for his mobile phone. "I'm calling the police."

She merely smiled as it will give her the opportunity to show to him that she means business. The fairy-god-mother pulled out a strange-looking metallic device and pointed it at John's phone. "At this point, I would advise you to calm down."

The Doctor furrowed his brows when he realised that he wasn't able to get through the line. There was no signal at all. "How did… this must be some sort of dream."

"Look, to clear things up a bit, fairy godparents don't have wings or use wands, well, technically speaking, this is a wand," she explained, waving the 'wand'. "But I prefer calling it a sonic screwdriver."

John stared at the woman with wide eyes before he sat down in a chair. "I've lost it."

"You're just in shock and as your fairy godmother, I would advise you to clear your mind while I attempt to clean this pig-sty you call a flat."

He looked up. "My home isn't that messy!"

"Yeah, that's what you said to your mother back when you were a teenager in that tiny room of yours in Bishopbriggs."

The Doctor frowned. "How did you know I grew up in-"

"Fairy godmother, remember?" she pointed out. "I did my research about you."

Only a handful of people knew that information and now, she finally has his full attention. Maybe she's a stalker. He tried phoning the authorities again.

"You used to be a doctor at a university hospital and then quit to start your musical instrument business."

"Everyone knows that."

"You barely scraped a first at uni."

She was slowly getting to him. "Again, not a secret."

The Impossible Girl rolled her eyes. What does it take to get this idiot to actually believe her and stop acting like an idiot? "You cheated once during a spelling test when you were seven."

John lowered the smartphone and stared at her. "How did I cheat?"

"You justified it as 'accidental cheating' since you accidentally saw your friend's answer, who was sitting next to you."

"What was my friend's-"

"Lewis."

Ok. She might be an actual fairy godmother. No! What is he thinking?! They don't exist, but the woman in front of him seems convincing enough even though there was nothing remotely different about her compared to another human being. "Why pop into my life now?"

The Impossible Girl flashed a smile. "I don't decide that kind of thing – I was just assigned to you."

John ran a hand through his silver curls. "So how do I get rid of you?"

She was slightly taken back by his question, feeling tempted to slap the back of his head. "Until you're no longer lonely or fall in love or something like that - when I'm ready to leave you."

Bloody brilliant. "Fine," he sighed. "I'll just adopt a cat or dog."

"That's not how it works and judging by your attitude, your pet won't stand you for more than three seconds."

The Doctor shot her an icy look.

"Get rid of those attack eyebrows and help me clean up because I honestly can't work in a flat that's this untidy."

He had to believe the woman now since there was only one person who teased him by calling his eyebrows 'attack eyebrows': His mother. "What's your name again?"

"The Impossible Girl."

"Isn't there something simpler I can call you, fairy godmother?" he asked sarcastically.

She paused for a moment. "You can call me Clara."

John had a feeling that Clara would be sticking around for quite a while and he wasn't looking forward to her bossing him around.

"Once the flat's nice and tidy, we're going to clean out your fridge."

"What?!" he exclaimed. "Why?"

A light slap to the head surely would do him good. She said nothing as she strode into the tiny kitchen, opened the refrigerator and waited for him to catch up. "Frozen food," she said, pointing at the freezer and then at the bag of crisps, a loaf of bread, a pizza box (God knows how long it's been in there) and a bottle of coke. "Junk food."

"I order takeaways."

"No wonder you're a mess," she commented. "Right, if you've finally accepted your fate, shall we crack on?"

John Smith was silent for a second. "Just let me wash my face and process this because I'm almost convinced that I should check into a mental asylum."

Is this really how things work? Fairy godmother shows up one day and immediately starts bossing him around without even a proper introduction. She should have at least waited until he woke up. There were still so many questions running through his mind.

Clara had a smug look on her face. "Who's the lunatic now?"

He merely growled before entering the en-suite and shutting the door.

"This has to be the toughest case yet," she murmured to herself. "But I love a good challenge."

Little did they know, the universe had other plans in place.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your amazing support! Now let's see what Clara and the Doctor are up to ;)

John Smith stared at his own face in the mirror, lost in his thoughts. This can't be happening. How the hell did this happen? Why is this happening to him now? He's in his fifties and he has a bloody fairy godmother. Where's the sanity in that?!

He bent down at the sink and splashed water onto his face. It's not a dream. It's not a nightmare and he's certain that he's not on some sort of drug.

Why would the universe turn his life upside down like this now? He's happy with his life- Bill! The memories of the previous day flooded his mind. That little girl had been pestering him about his lonely life.

A knock on the en-suite door was heard. "Hurry up," the voice on the other side commanded. "I can't do everything by myself."

The Doctor arched a brow before leaving the bathroom and nearly colliding with Clara who was standing in front of him. "I thought you said you're a fairy, so why not just use your magic to clean my flat?"

She pursed her lips. "I'm a fairy godmother, so let's get that right and yes, technically, I could, but I'm here to guide you, not to act as your nanny."

"What's the point of you having that sonic screwdriver then?!"

"I only use it when necessary," she replied before looking around. "Right, I think I'll start by removing all the junk food from your fridge and you can start by folding your clothes."

The Doctor crossed his arms. "They're in the wardrobe and no one is going to look in there."

"Guess who's about to prove you wrong," she muttered, returning to the bedroom and opening the wardrobe in the corner filled with unfolded clothes. "See, you just toss everything in here."

"They're not even wrinkled."

Clara could have easily dug through the pile to prove her point, but she was done arguing with him. "Do as I say."

John shot her a glare. "Yes, boss," he grumbled.

Is this what fairy godmothers are like? Bossy and infuriating. Why couldn't he get a different one? Why does it have to be her?

He began cleaning his wardrobe and leaving the pile of clothes on the mattress, folding each shirt as neatly as possible.

"Once we're done cleaning, I'm taking you grocery shopping."

"Is there somewhere I can write a complaint in the fairy world, or whatever world you come from?" he snarled. She's acting more like his wife.

"You're still going to be stuck with me regardless of how much you grumble and complaint," Clara answered with a hint of amusement.

After about an hour or so, he had finished his task and felt proud of it too. That'll show her. So, as he entered the kitchen, he was surprised to see his fairy godmother seated by the table eating biscuits, legs crossed.

"Took you long enough."

"You could have helped," he muttered under his breath before catching sight of a black plastic bag in front of the fridge. John thought he should see what she had thrown out.

Everything except the loaf of bread.

"Was it necessary to throw out those chicken fingers – they're still good."

Clara turned around to face him. "They expired three weeks ago."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Things didn't brighten up either when his stomach started growling, causing her to giggle. "This isn't funny."

"Don't worry, we're going to Tesco after this," she said.

The Doctor stood in the centre of the kitchen, contemplating whether the universe had given him a fairy godmother or a bossy wife. It was difficult to tell when she, well, bossed him around.

"I'll wait here while you get a shower."

He sighed in defeat before leaving.

"There's a Sainsbury's just down the road," John stated as he led them downstairs. "We can just go there instead since it's closer."

"Tesco has got more options, though," Clara replied.

He looked over his shoulder. "Why can't you just use your magic and spare us the food shopping?" he whined, unlocking the door to the guitar shop.

"I've said this before," she murmured, scanning the shop. "I'm here to help you… we're cleaning this room after the trip."

He covered his face with one hand. "What's wrong now?" he demanded. "Are you not a fan of musical instruments?"

His fairy godmother pursed her lips, pulled out the sonic screwdriver, got on her toes and tapped his head with it. "It's no wonder they sent me – no woman wants to date someone like you."

"I'm not even looking for a stupid relationship!"

She beamed. "Nope," Clara agreed. "You're looking for more than just a 'stupid' relationship."

The woman walked past him, examining several guitars that were hung up on the wall while the Doctor stood in his spot. "I want a different fairy godmother or whatever it is."

"Not happening," she said before pulling his arm and dragging him to the entrance. "Now come on, you're starving, which brings out more of the grumpiness."

"You seem like the sort of person who would be even more grumpy," he muttered under his breath.

Clara and John exited the shop and she let go of his arm. "Cross is the accurate term."

As she began walking in the direction of the supermarket, he stayed behind for a moment and looked up to the skies, asking why the universe was being unkind to him out of the blue.

Ten minutes later, they reached their destination and the first section the fairy godmother went to was vegetables.

"Do I look like I'm twelve to you?" he said through gritted teeth, staring into the trolley which was full of green vegetables.

"You live like one and hush," she answered, examining a bag of baby carrots before tossing them in.

John pushed the trolley forward, following wherever Clara went. When he spotted her reaching for a pear, he immediately stopped her. "I don't like pears."

"Apples."

"Fine."

"Bananas."

He said nothing so she took that as a yes.

"As a reward for somewhat behaving, you're allowed one junk food."

The Doctor frowned. "Two – there's plenty of food for a whole week and I want a bag of M&Ms and crisps."

Clara considered his argument. "Alright, fair enough."

Unbeknownst to them, a child of no older than seven had been listening to their argument. "Is that what married life is like, nan?" the boy asked his grandmother who was reading the back of a box of chocolates.

Clara and John looked in the direction of the seven-year-old, faces red.

The elderly woman merely gave them a cheeky smile. "If you've been married long enough, yes," she replied before locking eyes with Clara. "I've been in your position many times before when Edward was alive, and we had so much fun together!" she chimed. "He wouldn't give up on the box of Celebrations."

The Doctor had been too shocked to have corrected the woman. Were they actually arguing like a married couple?

"You and your hubby have a nice day," the woman said before walking away with her grandson.

The two exchanged looks before John looked away. "You're not my type."

Clara rolled her eyes. "You're not my type either, old man."

He was slightly taken back. "And how old are you – 2000?"

"Well I certainly don't look my age, unlike you and for your information, I am younger than that," she retorted before pulling the trolley. "Right, I think that's about it."

They headed for the self-checkout counter and passed an employee standing by the entrance as she flashed them a smile. "Keeping Valentine's Day simple?" she quipped.

John had had enough as he said nothing while scanning the items. Clara, on the other hand, decided to play along. "Simple and healthy."

"You two have a wonderful date," the employee said as they left.

"I very much doubt that," he muttered to himself.

"Lighten up a bit and lose that grumpy old man attitude."

John scoffed. "It's a bit difficult when I'm stuck with a bossy fairy godmother."

The fairy godmother knew that he was, deep down in his heart if you squint, a big softie. Otherwise, he wouldn't have entertained the idea of babysitting Bill Potts in the first place. It looks like she has another issue to work about with.

Once they arrived at the shop, she took out her sonic screwdriver. "I'm going to be nice to you just this once and don't even think about asking me to do this again," she explained and everything in the room began moving from one place to another.

John turned around to look through the glass doors. "Shouldn't we be a bit cautious in case people see this?"

"It's Saturday morning," Clara replied. "Everyone is either hungover, sleepy or they simply don't care because this is London."

"It's also Valentine's Day," she added.

"Good point," he murmured, adjusting the bags while watching the musical instruments come to life and rearranging themselves. If he had doubted her before, he sure wasn't now.

The shop began to look more and more like a proper shop than one that looks dodgy and implied that it was a money-laundering business.

The Doctor would never admit it, but everything seems nicer, more manageable. A sight for sore eyes.

Clara glanced at him with a triumphant look. "You're going to get more customers after this, I bet."

For the first time since their meeting, his lips curved upward.

"Looks who's actually grateful for once."

He opened his mouth to counter her argument only to have his rumbling stomach beat him to it.

The fairy godmother put her sonic screwdriver away. "You're definitely a 12-year-old stuck in an adult's body."

"I'm not," he insisted with a growl. "And I'm cooking whatever I like."

She said nothing as they headed upstairs back to his flat. At least she's making progress with him.

\-- 

Clara and John had shared a simple breakfast and once they had finished their meals, they retreated downstairs to open the guitar shop.

"Every thought about getting a haircut?" she suggested as she sat behind the counter.

"I like my hair."

"I meant making it look a bit more presentable since it looks as if it has a mind of its own."

He had to agree with her. "I think it does, but I'm not going to get a haircut."

Clara considered her next move carefully. "I guess you're going to wake up with a bald head tomorrow."

John raised an eyebrow. "I'd like to see you try."

She merely grabbed her sonic screwdriver and waved it at him.

"Fine," he growled. "I'll see what I can do."

"I'm just asking you to tame it a bit, don't get so defensive," she sighed before reaching for a magazine.

He didn't see anything wrong with his hair, although he had to admit it was getting a bit too long. He'd never admit it to her, though.

"What's your favourite instrument?"

"I thought you fairies know everything."

Clara closed the magazine. "Only the relevant info and I could look it up if I wanted to, but I just thought it would be polite," she added a bit more emphasis on the last word. "to ask."

"The guitar – I have an electric one in my room."

It certainly explains the hair and the punk-rock look he's got going for. "Why?"

"It's cool."

She beamed at his response. "See, you're a child deep down."

John wasn't able to throw a clever comment when the bell by the entrance chimed and a customer walked in. He had recognised the teenager as the same boy who bought an amplifier a month ago.

"Woah, I thought I was in a different shop," he commented.

"We've just redecorated."

The teenager took a moment to process his words before shrugging. Whatever.

Clara leaned back against the chair and glanced at the wall clock while John interacted with the customer. It looks to be another slow day.

By three in the afternoon, they had had a total of three customers, which isn't bad. Not as bad as not receiving a single customer at all.

"I think you owe me an apology."

John glared at her. While she had taken his favourite and cherished spot behind the cashier, he had to sit by the desk.

"There's nothing to apologise for," he grumbled, shifting his attention to the invoice he had just received.

At least a thank you would be appreciated.

"You'll thank me eventually."

Just then, the bell chimed, and Bill came running in with a wide smile as she carried a box which read 'Cluedo' with her. "Doctor, I found this-"

The girl stopped dead in her tracks as she saw a stranger behind the counter before realising that the shop looks different.

"Oh no," John said quietly as he shut his eyes.

She stared at Clara and came to one final conclusion. "Are you the Doctor's new girlfriend?"


	3. Chapter 3

"This one's a tough one."

"And old."

"But hot."

"You say that to every single one of these cases... well, aside from children."

"Yeah," the man answered before examining the photo again before whistling. "But this one's definitely a silver fox."

Missy rolled her eyes. Can her partner in crime get any more flirtatious? Why did the universe assign this dumbass fairy as her second-in-command is beyond her. "Makes me wonder how you even got through a single case."

"Business and pleasure are separated," Jack explained with a grin.

She found it difficult to believe him.

Here they were, the very fairies in charge of other fairy godparents, assigning cases and whatnot and one of them just had to be the most annoying man in the universe.

"Do you have any idea who we should assign this hotty hot-hot to?"

Missy snatched the file from him and examined John's records. "I do."

Jack waited for her to elaborate, but she was still silent. "Who?"

"The Impossible Girl."

At the mention of the name, he grinned once more. "That's going to be one hell of a show."

"The man who can't be controlled meets the control freak."

"I'm loving where this is going."

She was sure that the outcome would be a different one. Something that most wouldn't expect. "Send her in."

\-- 

Bill Potts stared at the stranger sitting behind the desk, surprised by her presence as she had expected the Doctor to be there, all by himself. She turned to him with a huge grin plastered on her face.

"It's not what you thin-"

"You have a girlfriend!"

John groaned and hid his face with both hands. He had forgotten that the child would pop into the shop since her mother was on a date.

Clara decided to take control of the situation. "You must be Bill," she said, flashing the girl a kind smile.

Bill stepped forward. "I am, and who might you be miss, aside from the obvious?"

Is thing going to be a thing from now on? Are people getting the wrong assumptions about them? First the old lady at Tesco and now an eleven-year-old. "Well, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed to know that I am not this dork's girlfriend," she explained, pointing a finger at the Doctor as he frowned. "And my name's Clara… Clara Oswin Oswald."

Bill didn't quite believe her first statement. "If you're not the Doctor's girlfriend, then what are you to him?"

The fairy godmother pondered for an answer. One that would surely ruffle the Doctor's feathers and amuse the child a bit. "His fiancée."

The eleven-year-old had her eyebrows raised in shock while John exclaimed a loud 'what' in the background.

Clara burst into laughter. "I'm kidding," she confessed. "I'm just his friend."

That was odd. Bill had never seen Clara Oswin Oswald before and the Doctor had never mentioned her. Besides, he had once said he didn't have any friends.

"We just became friends, isn't that right, Doctor?"

John said nothing as he settled back down in his seat and resumed his work. He definitely has a lunatic for a fairy godmother. That's for sure.

"Do you work here?" Bill asked in curiosity as she scanned the shop. "Did you do all of this?"

"I do work here and yes, I did, simply because that grouchy old man at the back there can't be bothered."

The Doctor wondered if he should say something. Clara was roasting him. "It makes it easier for me to find things," he explained quietly.

The fairy godmother and schoolgirl exchanged looks. They knew he was lying.

"Anyway, I found this under my bed – would you and John like to play?" she asked, placing the board game on the counter.

John shifted his attention away from the laptop. "I'm a bit busy right now, Bill, but I'm sure Clara wouldn't mind," he said dryly. "I can finally sit in my spot."

Clara decided to entertain the poor child since her sad excuse of her a babysitter is too grumpy to even play a board game. "That sounds like fun, Bill."

The girl's face lit up and she walked over to the other side as the Doctor stood up. "It's a fun game, John."

"Maybe later," he answered, granting her a smile.

Half-an-hour into the game, a customer appeared. "Can I help you?" John greeted and his fairy godmother immediately made a mental note to work on his manners.

The middle-aged man looked at his direction. "Yeah, I'm, uh, looking for a guitar for my daughter," he said. "It's her birthday next week and she's been begging for one."

While the Doctor entertained his customer, Bill decided to ask Clara a few more questions. "So are you sure you're not his girlfriend?"

"A hundred percent," the fairy godmother replied. "I'm just here to help him."

"And are you sure he doesn't at least like you?"

She was surprised by the girl's question. "What makes you say that?"

Bill merely shrugged. "Why else would he let you help him."

The woman relaxed. "Let's just say I forced him to accept my help."

The schoolgirl nodded in agreement. "You should see all the junk food he eats."

"Already cleaned out his fridge," she explained before she realised the mistake she made.

Bill titled her head. "I thought you said you just met him… do you live with him?"

Clara needed to come up with an answer quickly. "Yeah, while I'm looking for a proper job."

"So you live with the Doctor even though you've just met him?"

It did sound strange by the way the child put it. "Yes."

Bill Potts will certainly have a story to tell to her mother when she picks her up later in the evening.

Certainly enough, later that evening, Moira walked through the glass doors to pick her daughter up and was surprised by Clara's presence.

"Finally took Bill's advice, mate?" she asked him before moving her attention to what she presumed was the Doctor's new girlfriend. "Thanks for giving this poor soul a chance."

"It's not what you think," John muttered begrudgingly. "Clara, Moira, Bill's Mum," introduced. "Moira, the bane of my existence."

Moira came to the same conclusion as did every other person so far. "No need to keep up that persona, mate, I can feel the 'fireworks' from here."

"Trust me, we're not together," Clara insisted with a nervous smile.

"But they live together," Bill added as she collected her belongings.

Moira's smile grew. "Hard to convince me otherwise now."

"It's really not what you think," the man insisted in frustration. Why were people getting the wrong idea in the first place?

"Yeah, whatever, thanks again, mate," she said and left with her daughter in tow.

The moment mother and daughter left the shop, John whirled around in his chair and looked at his fairy godmother dead in the eyes. "Pretend that didn't happen."

"A bit difficult since everyone's getting the wrong idea, so I say we do something about it."

"You're leaving?" he questioned, feeling slightly hopeful that he would be rid of the bossy fairy godparent.

The Impossible Girl pulled out his mobile phone.

His face immediately dropped. When the hell did she get that? He had it with him at all times.

"It was sticking out of your pocket, so I decided to be a champ and keep it safe rather than letting it fall and get damaged and now you owe me."

She pickpocketed him!

"Didn't take you for the frisky kind."

"Definitely take you for the clumsy kind," she retorted before unlocking his phone with her sonic screwdriver. John immediately protested.

"Hey!" he growled, extending an arm to grab the device. "You can't do that!"

Clara moved back a bit so that he couldn't reach her. "Yes, I can and no, I'm just installing Tinder – Bill has a point."

He glared at her. "I don't need that stupid dating app," he grumbled. "Give me my phone," he demanded while she began setting up his profile.

"How are you going to find a date then?" she inquired with a hint of sarcasm. "The old-fashioned way?"

"In case you've gone senile, I'm not exactly a young man anymore."

"Plenty of older men and women on this app."

He buried his face in both hands. She's going to embarrass him to death. He felt a light tap on his shoulder and when he looked up, a click was heard.

"Everything's sorted now, including your pic," she said, showing the full profile.

Bloody hell.

John, 53. Guitar Shop Owner.

It's guaranteed that no one will contact him, so he'll just be made fun of on the internet.

"It's a waste of time."

"We'll find out soon enough," she stated, handing him back his mobile phone. "And keep the stubble."

"What?!" he said, surprised as he touched his face.

"I think a beard would look good on you."

Dictating how he maintains his facial hair now. Brilliant. "No."

Clara shook her head. "Trust me, it will," she insisted. "And then we can update your pic."

Is there any point in arguing with her? "Yes, boss," he sighed in defeat, accepting the fact that he will have to grow a bloody beard. Whatever next? Clothes shopping?

"And we're going clothes shopping soon."

John Smith didn't have the energy to even argue with his fairy godmother anymore. It was then a thought occurred to him. "Wait, other people can see you."

"Yeah, what's your point?"

"Isn't there some sort of rule that says only the fairy godchild can see their fairy godparents?"

The Impossible Girl shot him a confused look. "I think you've been watching too many films and TV shows," she answered. "But I can make myself visible only to you if I want to."

Just as he was about to speak, the bell chimed, and both looked at the entrance where a customer had just stepped in. "It's still open right?" he asked, sounding a bit breathless as if he had run.

"We're closing in ten minutes," John pointed out. "But what do you need?"

The man checked his mobile phone as he read the description. "A Crossrock 006 guitar case?"

The Doctor would have happily shown the man the collection of cases he had, but thanks to Clara, he had no idea where she had placed them. "Where are they?"

The customer slowly put his phone away, wondering what was going on.

Clara smiled and pointed a shelf just a few feet away from him. He had no idea what she found so amusing as he went over to the shelf.

"This is the one."

The man nodded. "I'll take it," he replied. "My sister's graduating from uni tomorrow and I haven't bought her anything."

John said nothing as he rang the man up. At that moment, the phone rang. "Would you mind picking that up?" he said to Clara who still remained silent.

The customer thought he was referring to him, because, well, who else is in this shop? "You want me to answer the call?"

The Doctor looked up. "What?"

That was when he put two and two together and realised that his fairy godmother had been messing with him.

"Sorry, I thought another employee was still here," he lied. "Must be at the back."

The man still wasn't entirely convinced by the explanation as he took the guitar case. "Ok… thanks," he said before briskly walking to the exit.

"That wasn't funny," John growled the moment the customer was gone.

The Impossible Girl lowered the magazine she held in her hands. "You didn't seem very convinced, so I decided to give a live demonstration."

He said nothing as it was closing time and that meant the first thing that needed to be done was switching the sign to 'closed'. She took the opportunity to sonic his smartphone and expedite the response from Tinder. There has to be somebody who's interested in him. Right?


	4. Chapter 4

John Smith. 53… What?

The Impossible Girl skimmed through his file once again and before looking up. "You want to assign me to this guy?" she asked slowly.

Missy shrugged nonchalantly.

Jack nodded eagerly.

Clara had only dealt with young adults and children. In fact, her oldest fairy godchild was 30!

"We think you're just the right person to deal with him since John can be quite difficult, shall we say."

Well, there's no doubt about that, judging by what she's reading from his file. Stubborn, grumpy, massive ego. This is going to be one rollercoaster ride.

"I work better with children," she began.

"Think of this as your last hurrah, if successful, that is," Missy continued explaining. "You've been in the field for quite a while and have secured a pretty nice retirement package."

She glanced at John's picture once more. "I just help out whenever I can."

Jack leaned back against his chair. "What do you say, Impossible Girl?"

\-- 

It had taken two days. Two long and excruciating days convincing him to check the app and actually make an effort to look for a match. They finally found one. It felt like a miracle since all they had been doing while waiting was manning the shop downstairs and disagreeing on silly things, such as what they'll be having for dinner, or if Bill's maths homework had a flaw.

Silly little things and if she dared to admit it, it was fun throwing banter at each other. He would always look grumpy and annoyed, but she knew he enjoyed it just as much since if he didn't, they wouldn't have continued with the harmless teasing and insults.

All he had to do now was act less grouchy and more charming, which is obviously going to be difficult.

John took quite a bit of time looking at his mobile phone, lips pursed. "I don't like her."

He had matched with a woman in her mid to late forties by the name of Jessica. Attractive. Works as an accountant in London and loves music as much as he does, according to her profile description. That's something and here is the Doctor, being a stubborn pain in the neck.

"What's wrong with her?" the Impossible Girl demanded.

"She looks boring."

That had to be the most unconvincing lie she had ever heard in her entire life. "Send her a message."

"No."

"Do it."

John placed the smartphone on the desk and shifted his attention to the laptop, checking and answering emails.

"All I'm asking you to do is give her a chance – just say hi or something."

He didn't have to as the electronic device buzzed and came to life a second later, showing that there was a notification from Tinder. From Jessica, to be exact. It was a simple 'Hi'.

Both were stunned by the sudden message.

"The good news is that she's interested in you," Clara pointed out, smiling.

The Doctor paused briefly and then extended his arm to grab the mobile phone before deciding to resume his work. It's unlikely he'll get anywhere with 'Jessica' anyway.

"If you don't reply to that message, you'll regret it."

The threat made him chuckle. What's his fairy godmother, a 5'2 woman going to do? Boss him around some more? To his horror, she snatched the phone, unlocked it with that screwdriver and began typing.

"No!"

"Too late," she answered, showing him the response she had sent, along the lines of 'Hello'. "Now man up and talk to her."

What choice did he have now? Comply and talk to Jessica or not comply and have his fairy godmother talk to Jessica on his behalf. He wished he could write a complaint to the fairy world.

For the next five minutes, John and Jessica chatted back and forth. She commented on the guitar she saw in the background in the profile picture and they went off from there. As it turns out, the accountant is from Glasgow, just like him, and has been living in London for the past seven years.

"Ask her out on a date," Clara suggested as he glanced at the phone from his shoulder. The fact that she didn't hear him protest implied that he wouldn't mind entertaining the idea. "Just think of a place you like to eat at."

"Well, there's this nice Japanese restaurant…"

"Great, start by saying that."

"But what if she doesn't like Japanese food?"

"Only one way to find out."

She watched him type a reply and hit send. A few seconds later, Jessica answered by mentioning that it was her favourite cuisine. Looks like he's got a date.

"Not so bad, is it?" the fairy godmother asked in a smug tone after John's date had confirmed their date. Saturday. 7 PM. At his favourite restaurant.

He would not grant her the satisfaction of acknowledging that she was indeed right, so he returned to work. He had a feeling, however, that the torture wasn't over just yet.

"Looks like we'll have to go shopping tomorrow."

There it is. "What's wrong with the clothes that I currently have?"

"Worn out and most of them are t-shirts."

"I still have a few shirts-"

The look on her face told him that arguing would be pointless. If she wants him to get a new crisp shirt, then he will just have to deal with it.

Surely enough, that was exactly what happened the next day, which meant that he had to close the shop for a few hours.

They stopped by at several different clothing stores and finally found something at, surprise, surprise, Paul Smith. The employee that served them, Zach, had, of course, made the wrong assumption. Even though they didn't even have wedding rings.

"I'm sure we can find something that suits your husband," the man murmured as he began selecting a number of different shirts.

Clara happily played along, stating that they were going to celebrate their first-year wedding anniversary while John remained silent as his 'wife' made a judgement on what fits him and what doesn't.

"What about the shirt with tiny flags?" Zach suggested.

The Doctor looked at it in disgust. It looked like something for kids.

"Well, do you like it?" the Impossible Girl inquired to her 'husband'.

"No."

Zach immediately put the shirt away. "Well, you have a total of 12 shirts and a couple of trousers with you, so now comes the fun part."

John sighed in defeat.

"Just excuse him," Clara said, showing the pile into his arms. "It's been a long week."

"Completely understandable."

The next thing he knew, he was in a fitting room, staring at his own face in the mirror. Without much thought, he unbuttoned the shirt he was wearing and placed it on a hook before grabbing the first shirt – a navy one.

"What's taking you so long?" a voice teased.

He whirled around before pulling the curtains away. Clara was seated on a chair, legs crossed while she examined him from head to toe.

"Try the green one."

"I hate it."

Zach tapped his chin. "I don't think the green one goes well with his looks, not with those plaid trousers," he commented. "The white one?" he asked Clara.

"Might work and would go well with the black slacks."

Without another word, John turned around pulled the curtain. Now he had to change trousers as well.

After about half-an-hour of changing from one set of clothes to another, he finally settled with a light-blue shirt and the first slacks he tried on. Less is more as they say and his fairy godmother seemed satisfied, but just when he thought it was over, it wasn't.

"And what about the lovely wife?" he inquired. "We have some nice dresses for you, Clara, that will surely stun your hubby."

She certainly wouldn't mind trying out a few. The last bit, however, she doubted.

"But I thought you have a dress for the date?" the Doctor pointed out through gritted teeth. "Darling."

She placed a hand on his arm. "Wouldn't hurt to have a look," she whispered and winked.

"Right this way," Zach motioned all too happy as he led the way to another clothing section.

Ten minutes in, Clara found a dress that caught her attention. It was in midnight green.

John then had no choice but to wait for her as she went to the fitting room and tried his best to ignore the annoying Paul Smith salesman that made the shopping experience excruciating, by playing a game on his mobile phone.

"What do you think?"

He looked up and froze for a split second, wondering if he was imagining it. She looks breathtaking wearing the damn dress.

Zach smirked. "Someone's a little too excited," he teased.

The Doctor shot daggers at the man. "You still look bossy," he remarked to the fairy godmother.

Not an unexpected comment from the man himself. "I like it, but we only came here for his shirt and slacks."

John was convinced she was going to purchase the dress but thought it would be better not to make any comments.

\-- 

Clara crossed her arms as she observed him adjusting his sleeves for the third time that evening. Saturday finally came and he was going on a date, after some persuasion that is. The idiot thought about cancelling it all together and she wasn't having any of it.

"Stop staring."

"Don't be full of yourself," she retorted before circling him. His hair seems a lot tamer now after she told him to get a trim the previous day.

John fought the urge to roll his eyes. "What do you call this then?"

"Making sure you look presentable."

"I still don't understand why you'd have to come along – isn't that an invasion of privacy?"

Really? She had woken up from his sleep one morning and essentially told him she was his fairy godmother, and this is what he's complaining about?

"Your social skills are still questionable, so I'll just stick around in case you don't have a clue of what to say to Jessica."

That could only mean one thing. She would turn invisible to everyone except him. "Just don't say or do anything stupid."

The Impossible Girl raised an eyebrow. "I should be saying that to you," she shot back before walking up to him and standing a few inches away. There was a noticeable height difference between them, and it was made even more obvious when she stood so close to him.

"What are you doing?"

She unbuttoned the top of his shirt and he became even tenser. "That should impress Jessica or any woman for that matter."

To anybody else observing, it looked as if they were about to snog each other senseless or shag in the shop that very moment because that was what Petronella Osgood thought when she walked in.

The entire room was screaming of sexual tension.

The woman cleared her throat and Clara turned her head to the source of the sound while John remained still. "Hello, can I help you?"

Osgood had half a mind to leave what she perceived to be a couple at the moment, alone. "I wasn't interrupting anything, was I?"

The fairy godmother immediately put some distance between herself and the man standing in front of her. "Oh, no, it's not what it looks like."

It was difficult to see it in any other way. "I just need a split adapter."

"Uh, it's somewhere around here," John finally spoke when he finally got his head together. For the next ten minutes, John, Clara and eventually Petronella Osgood, searched the whole shop for the said adapter.

"This is why I didn't want to rearrange everything," the Doctor whined to Clara who was going from box to box.

"I'm sure it's here somewhere," she sighed.

"I found it!" Petronella exclaimed as she held up the adapter.

Paying took another ten minutes as there was something wrong with the payment terminal and it annoyed John to no end. He considered asking Clara to use her sonic screwdriver and then remembered that the customer was literally standing in front of him. "You really don't have cash on you?"

"Sorry," the young lady answered sheepishly. A few seconds later, the receipt finally printed.

Once Petronella was out of sight, Clara spoke a bit quietly. "I did you a favour and texted Jessica saying you were going to be a bit late."

"Thanks," the Doctor said, almost to the point of whispering as he took the mobile phone. "I- we should get going."

The Impossible Girl had no idea what just happened half-an-hour ago. One minute they were bantering and then the next, she went to him and casually unbuttoned his shirt. She blamed it on his constant fidgeting. Regardless, her main focus now is the date.

What could possibly go wrong, right?


	5. Chapter 5

When Jessica Adams arrived at the restaurant her date had recommended, she knew she had arrived a bit early, so there was the waiting period which lasted about ten minutes and then a text message was received from none other than her date.

The woman thought that he had cancelled in the last minute, but as it turns out, he had a customer to deal with at the shop he owned. John had told her to get a seat first while waiting and she did. Another ten minutes of waiting.

Just when she was about to lose all hope, she saw him. It wasn't that difficult to recognise the man since he was striding his way towards her and besides, the eyebrows were a dead giveaway.

"Hi," he greeted awkwardly. "Uh… I apologise for being tardy," he continued, pulling the collar of his shirt.

"Stop doing that," Clara instructed.

Jessica wondered what was going on. She had thought he would come alone. "I didn't know you were bringing your daughter here," she began.

The Impossible Girl was stunned when she heard those words.

John had his eyebrows knitted together. He looked back and forth between his fairy godmother and date. Didn't she say she could make herself invisible? Daughter? That's a first. "She's not my daughter," he managed.

His date became even more confused as she looked back and forth between John and Clara. It clicked. She immediately stood up. "Oh God, no… this is the second time that's happened," she muttered. "I… I'm really not into that sort of thing."

The recurring theme that night was obviously mass confusion. "I'm just his friend," the fairy godmother pointed out, wondering how and why on earth was Jessica able to see her.

"Yeah, sorry," the woman said as she grabbed her coat. "I don't do the weird stuff and you should have mentioned this in our conversation."

"I don't understand," the Doctor said quietly as he smoothed his unruly curls.

"Look, I like to think myself as liberal and people can do whatever they like, but having a threesome is just too much for me," Jessica explained. "Goodbye."

The Impossible Girl had no idea how the woman came to such a conclusion. It didn't make any sense at all! First, she assumed she's his daughter and then just straight-up thought they were a couple who wanted a threesome. What. The. Fuck?

John, on the other hand, thought his life couldn't get any weirder. Why were people always under the impression that he and Clara are an item? Well, the daughter thing was a first, but still, even Jessica eventually came to the same conclusion. Now what?

He looked down at the table where the menus were still laid out. "Um… do you want to have dinner here?" he inquired, breaking the silence. It would be a waste to cancel the reservation he made.

Clara arched a brow. "People are getting the wrong idea about us."

"You're not my type, I've said that before," he muttered, taking his seat.

"You're not mine either," she replied, mimicking his move. So, what is this then? A dinner between friends? Yes. That sounds plausible.

"I thought you said you were invisible."

"I was," she retorted. She was sure she was. This sort of thing had happened before, that was when she first learned how to turn herself invisible, so centuries ago. Why did she experience the same issue now?

"What happened then?" he asked sincerely, looking up from the menu.

She shrugged, avoiding his gaze. "I must have been distracted or something of the sort."

There was a loud voice explaining why she had failed to use her magic a few minutes ago, but she pushed it aside, ruling it out as irrational thinking. Her upcoming meeting with Missy and Jack is going to be awkward.

"I guess this should serve you as a lesson that Tinder doesn't work," he said lightly, attempting to alleviate her mood since she seemed a bit upset.

Finally, she smiled. "You're not getting away that easily."

He shifted his attention back to the menu. "Do you know what you're getting?"

Clara perused through the list. "I think I'll just go with the Tempura Udon."

"It's nice," he commented and decided that he would have the same thing as well. He raised his hand slightly and caught the waiter's attention.

The date was a disaster but at least he's dining at his favourite Japanese restaurant. With the bossy Impossible Girl to top it off.

What the two were unaware, however, were the supposed 'couple' just a few tables away from them. Missy lazily played with her food as Jack kept glancing at the couple and in particular, John.

"He looks even better in person," he commented.

"We're just here to observe and not ogle you twit."

"Two birds with one stone."

Their sole intention was simply to evaluate Clara's performance. It was a thing. They do it all the time. What wasn't a thing was to see how the relationship was budding.

"Oh, he's definitely attracted to her," Jack remarked when he caught the Doctor staring intently at Clara, even just for a brief second.

\-- 

"Just so you didn't get the wrong idea, that didn't count as a date," the Impossible Girl pointed out when they stepped inside the guitar shop.

John shot her a look. "Why would I think that?" he queried.

"You still have to look for another date."

It's only going to get worse. What's the next one going to assume? A married couple, a couple who's experimenting or couple who's on and off and are in an open relationship? Friends with benefits?

"You do realise it's pointless, right," he stated, locking the door. "After what happened."

She brushed it off. "You're just out of practice."

"You're blaming this on me when it's your fault?"

It wasn't entirely her fault. It's just that her magic failed at the wrong moment. There was nothing she could do at that time. "It wasn't intentional and believe me when I say that I want to be done with you as quickly as possible," she replied, poking a finger against his chest.

"Alright, then," he growled. "What should I do next, fairy godmother?"

"Contact Jessica, obviously," she said before walking upstairs to the flat. "I'm not going to let some ungrateful Scotsman ruin my clean record."

"First time for everything."

She couldn't think of a better comeback and decided to just say the first thing that came to mind. "You can sleep on the sofa."

Well, that came out wrong.

For the past week or so, John discovered that Clara would usually just disappear. Out of thin air, whenever she thought her work for the day was done, so to hear her demand him to sleep on the sofa was an odd one.

"Travelling between worlds takes up a lot of energy and I don't feel like going back tonight so you get the boot."

That was the most ridiculous thing he had ever hear in his entire life. "That's stupid," he stated, following her upstairs. "This is my flat – why can't you find a nice hotel or something?"

"It's what you get for being an idiot," the Impossible Girl shot back as she strode past the living room.

The Doctor covered his face with a hand. He knew for a fact that the sofa isn't comfortable enough to sleep in for long periods of time, so it was a no for him. "If it's too much for you to travel between worlds, why don't you use your magic to make the sofa more comfortable, hm?"

She had just entered his bedroom, and both were now facing each other by the door frame. She had her hand on the handle as she considered his idea. "Fine, but you're still sleeping outside."

"Just make the sofa comfortable," he requested, accepting defeat.

She raised her sonic screwdriver and it buzzed for several seconds. "Done."

"Can I at least change in the sanctity of my bedroom before you take over?"

She stepped aside and pulled the door further to let him in.

When she came back inside a few minutes later, John was dressed in a simple black t-shirt and pyjama bottoms. "I hope you're happy," he grumbled.

"That should teach you to be a bit more polite," she replied as the door shut and her smile immediately fell. Now what? The excuse she had said before was just a lie. Travelling between the two worlds was just like hopping from one space to the next. Hardly takes up an ounce of energy, but she didn't want to admit defeat, hence the lie.

She could leave right now, but what if John comes knocking to get something? He wouldn't let it go the next time he sees her. There was only one option now. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

"Don't start being nosy and rummage through my belongings!" the Doctor yelled from the living room.

Clara rolled her eyes and sat down on the edge of the mattress before snapping her fingers to switch her attire to nightwear. As she rested her head on the soft pillow, she was greeted by a familiar smell. Her lips curved upward, whether she realised it or not.

\-- 

"You look different," Bill commented as she examined John's face. His eyes were red and baggy, hair wilder than usual and he had ditched his favourite hoodie for a holey jumper.

"It's her fault," he muttered, nodding at the Impossible Girl who was drinking a cup of tea.

"Ignore him, Bill," Clara said. "Old people tend to act grumpy at any given moment."

He smirked. "Makes sense."

"Did you guys fight last night?"

"No," both denied immediately, which gave Bill the answer she sought. "My mum says couples fight all the time, even on silly things, so she said people should just let it go."

The Doctor hated the fact that a child was being the rational one in the room. It made no sense. "We didn't fight and we're not a couple, Bill."

The eleven-year-old processed his words carefully. "So you're just shagging each other then?"

The words that came from the child shocked both fairy and human.

"Bill, what you said is very inappropriate," Clara said gently. "You shouldn't be saying that."

"Where did you learn such language?" John asked. Children these days.

The girl didn't understand why they seemed disturbed by her comment. "From school… and what does shag mean, then?" she questioned innocently. "Doesn't it mean goofing around?"

What were they supposed to say?

"No, it doesn't," the woman explained. "There are certain words in the English vocabulary which people consider to be 'strong'."

"'Shag' isn't as strong as-" the Doctor interjected before noticing the furious look on the fairy godmother's face. "Never mind."

The girl was now getting impatient as she had yet to receive a satisfactory answer from either of her babysitters.

"You'll figure it out once you're a bit older," the Impossible Girl explained in hopes of ending the awkward conversation.

"Why can't I know now?" she prodded, staring at John.

He was spared from answering Bill's question when his mobile phone chimed loudly. A new notification.


	6. Chapter 6

John Smith didn't hesitate for a second to unlock his phone and check whatever notification he had received. It's bloody Tinder again. Oh well, at least it provided a nice distraction from explaining to a child what the term 'shag' means. "Oh, look, an important email," he lied casually.

"Sounds important," Clara commented, walking to his side.

Looks like Bill will have to figure it all out herself. They kept avoiding her question. She will figure it out soon enough, but this must mean that it is true that they are 'shagging' each other. With nothing better to do, she returned to her school work.

"Could you please stop standing so close to me," the Doctor complained as he hid his mobile phone in the pocket of his trousers.

"Not until you tell me what's got you nervous."

He immediately brushed it off. "You're just imagining things now."

"Alright, then," she murmured, settling in the empty seat next to him. "What was the notification that you received?"

"Just junk-mail."

It was obvious that the Scotsman was lying. "Did you get another match on Tinder."

"No!"

Sometimes, she felt as if her job was too easy. Sometimes.

"Is John on Tinder?" the eleven-year-old asked as she was able to hear them clearly, despite speaking in hushed tones.

The Doctor avoided her child's question. "Eavesdropping on people's conversation is very rude, Bill."

"So is not answering valid questions."

Clara burst into a fit of giggles, unable to help herself.

"Homework," he emphasised, tapping on the sheet of paper of the girl.

Bill merely smiled as she continued to finish the task. "Is that how you met Clara?"

John groaned in defeat before sinking his head against the table. There was only one sensible thing left to do. It was going to make his fairy godmother cross. Extremely cross, he predicted, but the action would spare him a headache. "No, and no more questions about Tinder."

The Impossible Girl squinted her eyes in suspicion as she saw his arms moving. The next thing she knew, he raised his head and locked eyes with her.

"Your idea was silly," he stated, holding up the mobile phone. The man had deleted Tinder.

She couldn't let him win. "What's wrong with silly?"

"Nothing," he answered. "I didn't imply there was anything wrong with being silly, but this is stupid silly."

Back to square one. Looks like she would have to figure something else out. If she dared to admit, the Tinder plan had been a longshot. She was even surprised he managed to get two matches. "Fine, let's compromise."

"Can I make a suggestion?" Bill interrupted politely.

"Of course," Clara said before John even had the chance to dismiss the child.

"Thank you," the schoolgirl replied. "Why don't you guys go out on a date?"

"No," both exclaimed in unison.

The Impossible Girl then thought it would be a good idea to give a thorough explanation to Bill. "The rule of this… game, let's go with that, is that I help John find a date and that date can't be me."

"Sounds like a stupid rule."

"I don't like him either," she added before turning around. "No offence."

"None taken," he answered a bit too quickly before shifting his attention back to a guitar he was tinkering with.

Bill couldn't still see why they couldn't date each other. They seem to get along well, despite arguing a lot. Adults are strange. "What would happen if you date him?"

"I'd be institutionalised at a mental asylum because of how bossy she is."

Clara fought the urge to smile. "Nobody asked for your opinion, thank you very much."

"You're very welcome."

"Do you see my point now?" Bill argued.

Clara had never met such a bright and curious child as Bill. She just keeps bombarding them with questions until she gets a satisfactory answer.

The eleven-year-old resumed her work and shortly after, a customer came in. She then took the chance to have a private chat with the fairy godmother. "I think he likes you."

They've been over this before. "Bill, I can assure you that that is not a possibility."

"What makes you say that?"

The woman blew air through her teeth. "Ok, how about you tell me why you think John has feelings for me."

Bill shrugged. "I don't know, I think it's the way he looks at you."

"Annoyed and grumpy?"

"Like how Aladdin first saw Jasmine."

The Impossible Girl was sent to John Smith with one task in mind: To get him to fall in love. Full stop. That is it. He can't have feelings for her… Right? How does that even work? How is she supposed to present this information to her superiors?

"Clara," Bill called. "Clara, earth to Clara Oswin Oswald."

She snapped out of her thoughts. "Yeah, sorry, just thinking."

"I was right, wasn't I?" the child asked with a hint of smugness.

She gazed at the Doctor who was interacting with the customer just a few feet away, observing him carefully, how he held the electric guitar in his hands and strummed the strings.

No. She's overthinking.

\-- 

Missy reached for a piece of biscuit on the desk as she casually read through the progress report. John Smith had his first date. Didn't go very well. The date had a misunderstanding and left. The reason had been omitted but she didn't mind. She knew what happened.

Jack giggled when he read the bit where she had perused through. "So, she'll attempt to get him a date through the old-fashioned way, huh?"

"Yes, Captain Obvious," the woman replied sarcastically before pressing a button and the doors slowly swung open as Clara stepped inside, looking slightly nervous. "Have a seat."

The Impossible Girl sat down in the empty chair and waited for her superiors to make a comment.

"I'm pleased with the progress you're making," Missy said bluntly, surprising her.

"Yeah, I mean, resisting a face like that takes a lot of willpower," Jack added, whistling.

Clara decided to speak. "I'm not sure what you're trying to imply here."

The man held up his hands. "Nothing at all, just saying he's attractive."

Missy kicked his chair off to the wall with her foot. "On a more serious note, we really have no problems with your report."

More surprising news for Clara. She was sure they would have questioned her over her magic failing during the date.

"You're free to head back to hottie," Jack announced as he rolled his chair back to the desk.

Well, the meeting had ended better than she had expected. "That's it?"

"What were you expecting?"

Truth to be told, she wasn't entirely sure. "I don't know, he kept complaining I was too bossy, wanted to write a formal 'complaint' and whatever else it was."

"Nothing you can't handle, right?"

Clara straightened her back. Nothing she can't handle.

\-- 

John Smith was woken up by the smell of something pleasant. An image of a bakery with freshly baked croissants waiting on the counter. He rolled around moaned as the smell grew stronger before shooting his eyes open. He sat up in bed and wondered where the smell was coming from.

Well, there was only one possible explanation and so he climbed out of bed and headed straight for the kitchen where the Impossible Girl was, sitting on the counter while something was baking in the oven.

"What… are you doing?" he asked groggily.

"Baking a chocolate souffle."

He checked the time. 7:24 AM. "For breakfast?"

"After breakfast."

He stared at her in bewilderment. "Why?"

She raised an eyebrow and gave him a look. "What's wrong if I decide to bake souffle?"

He caught the scent of the chocolate and his mouth began to water. She knew he has a sweet-tooth and was clearly doing this to get him to agree to whatever her next scheme is. "I know what you're up to."

"I'm just making a souffle."

He scratched the top of his head. "No, no, you're doing this, so I'll agree to go on another date or something similar."

"Maybe, maybe not," she said innocently. "The question right now is," she continued as the timer came full circle and chimed. "Do you want your souffle or not?"

The Doctor silently watched as she bent down to open the oven and full out the tray with a pair of oven mitts. He shut his eyes, appreciating the aroma, or at least, that was what he was trying to do. "What do you want?"

Clara smiled. Easy. "We could go to the pub tonight."

"It's pointless," he argued. "Nobody is going to suddenly be interested in me."

Her facial expression remained the same. Only one way to find out. "Want to bet?"

"Let me taste the souffle first," he said grumpily as he pulled a chair.

The moment he tasted the pastry, he knew he didn't have a chance at saying no to her. It was out of this world! "Where did you get the recipe for this?" he asked, taking another bite. "Does your world add a special ingredient?"

"Not how it works," she explained, pulling the plate to her. "I just use normal ingredients like normal people."

He pulled the plate back to him. "You're a fairy, I don't think it applies to you."

"I'm sure you're intelligent enough to understand what I meant," she replied before changing the subject. "It's good, isn't it?"

John shrugged, trying his best to maintain his neutral expression. "It's ok."

Clara examined his face before looking down at the plate where there was only a quarter of souffle left. "And yet, you ate most of it."

"It was good," he admitted, flashing her a kind smile. "Although a bit too sweet."

She punched him on the arm. "Hey, it took a lot of effort."

That was when he realised that she didn't use her magic to conjure the pastry goodness. No, she had made it from scratch, just as she said. Not an ounce of magic involved judging by the dirty bowls and utensils in the sink.

He supposed going to the pub wouldn't hurt. Worst case scenario is that he gets to have a few drinks and prove his fairy godmother wrong.

\-- 

"Ok, so here's the plan," the Impossible Girl explained as they began walking in the direction of the nearest pub. "I'm going to stay invisible and make sure I do."

"Ok," he murmured, a bit sceptical since the previous incident.

"You, yes, you, are going to make an effort and not ignore people when they come up to you," she continued. "While I'm going to advise you what to say or do if necessary."

"What happens if other people are able to see you?"

She decided that the best thing to do was act that they knew each other as friends. Friends. Hopefully, people won't get the wrong idea. "Just act casual – we're friends after all."

"I have a feeling people are still going to get the wrong idea."

"Just let me handle that part."

Oh, he'd love to see that. What sort of excuse will she give? They continued walking for another five minutes before reaching their destination.

"Haven't seen you around for a while mate!" the bartender greeted warmly when he spotted John reluctantly walking in with a woman. "You must be the lady of his life, then?" he inquired. "That's new."

"Hello to you too, Andy."

"I'm actually just his friend," Clara stated and gave a polite smile. What the heck? What's her excuse for her magic not working this time?

Andy had seen many things in his life, especially since he was a bartender, so he knew there was more to their relationship than just friends and decided to keep silent. "The usual?"

"Yeah," he grumbled, leaning against the counter.

"And what about the pretty lady?"

The Impossible Girl thought for a moment. "Just whatever he's having."

The bartender was surprised by her answer. "You sure, love?"

"Yep."

He shrugged and began preparing their drinks.

John took the opportunity to speak to her. He had a feeling that her magic would fail. "I didn't know you're allowed to drink on duty."

"We're allowed to – alcohol doesn't have an effect on us."

"So, people can still see you."

"I'm well aware of that, thanks."

"We could leave-"

The glare she gave him was all it took to silence him. How is he supposed to get out of this kerfuffle?

The Doctor eyed her carefully before staring at a wall. He really had no idea what to do. The last time he came here, he sat down and had a few drinks and then left. That was always the case.

"Girl in a red blouse, nine o'clock," Clara announced, and he immediately turned his head, spotting a brunette. "I caught her checking you out."

The pair then noticed that she was approaching towards them.

Here we go again.


	7. Chapter 7

John and Clara had thought that the brunette would walk towards them and then make eye contact with the Scotsman and start chatting, but that wasn't what happened. Instead, she locked eyes with the Impossible Girl.

"I like your t-shirt," the woman complimented, nodding at the shirt which had 'Guitars Are Cool' written on it. "You play the guitar?" she asked. To anybody with a pair of eyes or ears, it was as clear as day that the brunette was hitting on Clara.

The Doctor bit his bottom lip, trying his best not to laugh or even crack the faintest of smiles.

"Thanks, I actually got it from his shop," the Impossible Girl replied, pointing at the man standing next to her. "He's the one you should be talking to since he has an electric guitar and everything."

The woman barely glanced at John before shifting her attention back to the fairy godmother. "Sure, but you guys aren't… like…"

"No, no," Clara denied immediately. "We're just friends," she explained.

"Well, you're not alone anymore."

The Doctor coughed several times, hiding his laughter before taking a sip of his scotch. "Excuse me, I'm just going to… watch the football match," he announced, even though he wasn't a fan of sports, let alone football, but sat close to the TV anyway, just to let Clara get a taste of her own medicine for once.

The Impossible Girl shot him a pleading look and he merely shrugged. It then morphed into that of annoyance. He's dead meat when she has him to herself.

A lot of men (and a few women) had tried flirting with her and she shot them all down, some easily, others, not so much.

"Do you go here often?"

Clara's brain racked for a proper response. She's just asking a simple question. She hasn't made a bold comment yet, so she couldn't just say she wasn't interested. That would end up being awkward. "No, this is my first time here."

Screw it. She has to stop this. "Look, I'm sorry, but my boyfriend and I are... roleplaying..."

A look of disappointment washed over the woman's face. "Oh..."

"Yeah, sorry," Clara apologised while wondering why she had come up with such a complicated lie. She could have just said she was straight. She then glanced in the Doctor's direction and saw that a woman sat down next to him as he took another sip of his drink. Checkmate.

"You look completely bored out of your mind," the woman commented, and he faced her properly.

He shrugged. "Not a fan of football but was bored."

"Are you sure you're at the right place?"

John wondered if the woman wanted to make small talk or was just trying to get him interested in her. He had to admit she was pretty and possibly slightly younger than him. "Very, I'm having my scotch just how I like it."

"So a handsome Scotsman decided just to have a drink on a Tuesday night?" she flirted.

John's mind immediately went blank, not knowing what to say. He had been so out of practice that he didn't know what to do. He looked behind the woman where Clara was looking at him smugly and then subtly flipped him off by placing a middle finger on her lips. Where was that brunette who hit on her?

"Yes."

The woman titled her head slightly, a small smile playing on her lips. "Every thought of doing something else tonight?"

He realised that Clara had sat closer to them in order to hear their conversation but left a generous amount of space between them.

"Fixing an old guitar I have lying around," he answered truthfully and saw Clara shaking her head. How was he supposed to know being honest wasn't the right answer?

She massages her forehead and mouthed something to him, which he couldn't decipher.

"It makes sense why you have musician's hands."

John glanced behind the woman again and saw Clara nodding. "Uh, thanks… your eyeshadow looks nice," he lied, thinking that a compliment like that would work. If anything, he had thought she looked more like a My Chemical Romance fan with the amount of makeup used.

The fairy godmother then mouthed a clear 'no' to him and to both their surprises, the woman giggled and scooted closer to him. "You really have a way with words."

The Doctor remained silent as he was unsure of what to say. It hadn't come unnoticed to the woman that he kept staring at whatever was behind her and when he did it again, she looked over her and her hopes immediately dropped. It made sense why didn't seem all that interested in her.

Clara immediately looked up, pretending to watch the match.

"It's not what-"

"No, it's alright," she said with a reassuring smile. "Should have told me, though."

He tried to explain to her that she had the wrong idea, but never had the chance to as the woman simply left without another word.

The Impossible Girl then began to wonder if John was a bad-luck magnet since well, that was definitely the case when it came to relationships. She went over to him and gave him a sympathetic look. "Well, you got your wish."

"Because she thought I was interested in you."

"Are you?"

The Doctor shot her an icy look, preferring not to answer her question before finishing his drink in one go.

"The night is still young."

Clara made a mental note to dig a bit deeper into John's past to see if she was missing anything. He can't be this bad.

"And some other woman will get the wrong idea about us."

She decided to change the subject. "And yet she was ready to snog you."

He furrowed his brows. "No, she wasn't."

"Take my word: she was."

He remained silent, a frown on his face while at the same time looking slightly embarrassed.

"What's with that look?"

"Nothing."

Well, there was clearly something he was hiding from her and she was going to find out what it was. "Tell me."

"No."

"I'm your fairy godmother."

"No," he insisted. "You'll laugh."

She had a feeling she will but decided to coax him a bit more. "Come on, I'm here to help, remember?"

He paused, contemplating telling her. "I… There's this thing," he stammered. "It happened a while ago, but... I've been told I'm a… bad kisser."

She summoned all her will to stop herself from even cracking a smile. Her facial expression remained neutral, but John knew she wanted nothing more than to burst into wild laughter. "Don't you dare, after what I told you."

Her lips quivered and she coughed once, twice before taking a deep breath. Maybe this was worse than laughing. "Who," she managed. "Who said that?"

Just as he was about to elaborate on the disastrous date he once had, the doors of the pub burst open with a loud bang and a young man around his mid-twenties walked in, followed by several of his friends. "Guess who's back!"

"Oh, no," Andy sighed. "When did he get back?"

"Who's he?" Clara asked in a whisper to John who leaned against the counter.

He didn't know where to start, so he started from the beginning. Patrick Hove is the son of the local MP and was notorious for getting into trouble, including starting fights. He had caused quite a bit of trouble a few years ago and everyone had had enough, so that meant the MP then lost his seat. He then sent his trouble-maker of a son to South East Asia to 'discover' himself. The message was loud and clear and eventually, Wesley Hove won his constituency back. People had thought that was the end of it until now that is.

"Seems like he hasn't changed," the Impossible commented once the Doctor had finished his explanation.

"I'd have a time machine if he did," he muttered before deciding that it was best to leave. "Come on, we best get out of here."

"Drinks are on me, And," Patrick announced loudly, but the room barely cheered.

"Andy," Andy corrected begrudgingly.

Patrick merely grinned. "Come on, Andy, you haven't seen me in years and that's the first thing you say?"

"Pleasure having you here," Andy said sarcastically.

It was then one of Patrick's friends spotted Clara and nudged him with his shoulder before nodding to her.

John took the opportunity to leave some money on the counter, grab Clara's hand and leave, surprising her by the sudden physical contact.

"There's no need to leave in a rush," Patrick said, blocking their path before spotting them holding hands. "I find it difficult to believe you'd rather leave with him than with me – Patrick," he continued, extending a hand.

"Sorry, have to go," she replied politely before taking the lead.

The man then moved forward to stop them again.

"Look, if she says she's not interested, then sod off."

Patrick's friends then began making noises as if they were a group of apes. "Between you and me, I'd have a better chance of her leaving with me."

John remained silent, a scowl on his face, never letting go of Clara's hand. The fairy godmother then decided to speak. "Just ignore him and let's go," she whispered.

"Honestly, would you kiss an old grandpa like him?"

That was the last straw. If there was one thing she hated, it was arrogant arseholes. "Between him and you, I'd choose him every single day of the week," she stated, purposely eyeing him distastefully. "Now, please crawl back to your cave."

The Doctor had both eyebrows raised. The pub aside from Patrick and his friends started cheering and laughing.

"Nobody wants to get crabs from you, mate!" a voice in the crowd howled and everyone burst into laughter once more.

That was when both Clara and John took the cue to leave as Patrick stood in the centre, dumbfounded and embarrassed.

Both remained silent when they finally stepped outside, unsure of what to say before the Doctor flashed his teeth. "Every day of the week?"

It took her a second to realise what he was referring to and reacted by forcing herself to laugh. "It was so that we could bolt out of there."

"And you clearly decimated his ego," John added, unaware that they still had their hands linked.

"Did you honestly think something like that would make me forget about what you said earlier?" she quipped as they began walking, not minding one bit that they were strolling around in the streets of London holding hands.

The Doctor's grin immediately disappeared. "Is it possible for you to forget what I said?"

"About you being told you're a bad kisser?" she teased. "Fat chance."

He pouted instantly. Fantastic. Why did he even say it in the first place?

"Who exactly told you that?"

He shrugged. Happened years ago, and it was in the past. "It doesn't matter since it never went far than a few dates."

She bet that he wasn't as bad as he claimed to be. "So, what do you suggest we do about that?"

He didn't understand what she was implying. "Do what?"

"How to improve your snogging skills."

He sighed, thinking that she was going to force to go to the festival or something similar of the sort next. "I don't want to go look for another date just so I could practice snogging."

Clara shook her head. "I didn't even imply that."

"What are you suggesting then?" he grumbled and let go of her hand as he fished for the keys to the shop.

"Who else are you going to practice snogging with?"

He dropped the keys and stared at her dumbfounded. "What?"

"Kissing," she said casually, picking up the keys and unlocking the doors herself before taking a good look at him. "You look like a teenager who's about to get his first kiss."

John continued to stare at her with wide eyes. "What?"


	8. Chapter 8

"That was unexpected," Jack commented as he and Missy went to one corner of the pub to talk in private. "The whole Jenny hitting on Clara and Dana hitting on hottie was brilliant, but damn, that was a masterpiece."

Missy adjusted her purple wig. "The universe is doing its own thing, I suppose."

More than anything, they were pleased with what they had witnessed. The relationship between the two idiots was budding and she was happy that her fun little experiment is going well.

"Do you think she'll finally notice us?"

Missy stared at her colleague with a boring look. "Keep putting that stupid moustache on and everyone might."

Jack sniffed wiped away a fake tear. "A bit of support would have been nice."

"The moustache makes you look like a registered offender."

He let out a hearty laugh, chugging down his drink. People were always baffled how they were able to work together, and he was just as baffled. "Can't wait for the next meeting with the Impossible Girl."

"She has to deal with his kissing skills first," Missy said in amusement.

Jack whistled. "That's going to be one hell of a rollercoaster ride for them."

"You know, I'm beginning to think this grand plan of yours is providing the spice we need in this job."

Missy calmly took a sip of her whiskey. Bloody weirdo.

\-- 

John shut the door as quietly as he could, wondering what the hell just happened. Is she actually serious about wanting to teach him how to kiss or was she just messing with him?

"You look like a startled owl."

How could he not when a pretty woman just told him she wants to technically snog him. "No, I don't."

The Impossible Girl found it amusing that he was clearly trying to hide how nervous he felt. What other choice did she have? Ask him to practice with someone else? Yeah, she'd be waiting until the very end of time. "Yes, you do and it's not because you're nervous about kissing someone, right?"

He crossed his arms. "I am a fully grown adult, so there's no need to tease me as if I'm a child."

She flashed him a sarcastic smile. "Then you shouldn't be nervous, then, about snogging me," she stated, taking a step closer to him.

The Doctor straightened his back. "Who said anything about snogging?"

The fairy godmother knew she had made a serious mistake. Quick as a flash, she said, "Snogging, kissing, won't make much of a difference if you're out of practice."

"They are two completely things, by definition."

"Same thing depending on the context."

"You're just making up excuses now."

Here comes the punchline. "Alright, then," Clara murmured. "Prove it to me."

His eyes grew wide and he dropped his hands. "What?"

The Impossible Girl just loves it when she gets to prove people wrong. "Prove it to me by showing me the difference," she repeated. "Besides, it'll give me a chance to judge whether you're a terrible kisser or not."

John became awkward once more. No big deal. Why should the thought of kissing his fairy godmother? No, wait, that sounded strange. Woman. Clara Oswald. There's nothing different about her compared to other people aside from the magical powers. Why should he be nervous? It wasn't as if he was attracted to her… right?

"I'm waiting," she teased, staring right into his soul.

"No PDA in the shop," he managed.

"Seriously?" she exclaimed. It's a miracle that the idiot was in several relationships. How on earth did that happen if he's this awkward?

The Doctor shrugged. "I don't need to kiss or snog you to prove that both are not the same."

"They're the same depending on the context," she insisted, following him to the flat upstairs.

"No."

"Yes!"

Both came to a halt in the tiny living room. "Look it up on Urban Dictionary."

Clara growled in frustration. Maybe a bit too loud as a second later, banging from the wall was heard and a muffled voice yelled: "Yeah, give her a good time, mate!"

They froze in shock, surprised that their neighbours were able to hear the argument and perceived it to be something else.

He exchanged looks with Clara before they laughed quietly together.

She angled her body and tilted her head. "Are you going to show me a good time or not?"

He blanked out for a moment and then wondered if she was serious.

"The practice kiss, not shag me."

In response, John Smith's face turned bright red. "You're going to be disappointed."

She rolled her eyes. Here he is again, trying to change the subject and run away from the problem, well, an unlikely problem she was trying to asses. "I'll take my chances since the worst-case scenario is me not enjoying it."

"What makes you think I will?"

"I didn't imply that."

He played with his hair, gathering his thoughts and telling himself to just relax and he won't be laughed at, or teased. "There will be no teasing."

"I kept my word when I said I wouldn't laugh at your stupid confession."

That is true and he now has to kiss his fairy godmother. A very attractive one. Is it wrong to think that? "Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you," he muttered, closing the distance between them.

Clara shut her eyes and then felt his lips brush against hers.

He gently gripped her arm and used his free hand to support himself against the wall as he had to hunch himself slightly due to their height difference.

She eventually pulled away, their faces only a few inches apart. Whoever had said John is a bad kisser must have been insane, delusional or both. The Impossible Girl could see anxiety in his eyes and smiled to reassure him. "Not bad."

The Doctor wasn't entirely convinced as he knitted his eyebrows together.

"Out of practice, clearly," she added, not wanting to give too much away. "But nothing close to bad."

He straightened his back, licked his lips and put some distance between them. "I'm assuming that you are being honest right now?"

"Hundred percent, but again, it needs work," Clara said, although she knew that deep, deep, down, he really didn't need to do much.

"You sure?"

Without hesitation, she got on her toes, grabbed his face and snogged him just to prove her point and also use it as an excuse to kiss him again. "Yep," she said, after pulling away. "Might teach you a trick or two though."

He was still stunned by the sudden intimate physical contact, not that he minded. No, what is he thinking? "Do… do you do this to everyone else?"

She raised at an eyebrow at his strange question. "In case you've forgotten, I used to work with children, so it's a pretty obvious answer."

"You said most of them are."

Clara grinned. "Why, are you jealous?"

He immediately scowled, causing her to chuckle.

"To answer your question and keep the green-eyed monster at bay, no, you're the first one."

John felt the need to reiterate that he wasn't falling for Clara Oswald. He couldn't be. "I've told you before that you're not my type."

"You're not mine either," she replied. "And yet we kissed, well, practice-kissed."

"Because you made me."

"I wasn't receiving any sort of protest from you."

She has a good point, not that he would admit it to her. "You were, as you said, 'assessing' my kissing abilities, so what was I supposed to do then?"

"You even had your hands around me."

John paused. He didn't remember doing such a thing. Maybe she was lying, but why would she? He knew that Clara was the type who likes to win arguments, but he doubted playing dirty is in her tactics.

"Want me to prove it to you?"

"I'd like to see you try."

The Impossible Girl leaned in when it struck her that he wanted her to kiss him. Their lips met again for the third time that night and lasted quite a bit longer and Clara had been right of course. One hand was on her hip and the other on her back. "Told you," she whispered, hands resting on his chest.

It was a full-on snogging session, but neither of them wanted to address it, so they pretended as if the third 'practice-kiss' wasn't out of the ordinary.

"Force of habit, I guess, sorry," he said quietly, releasing her.

"Don't be," she murmured. "Your future date will certainly enjoy the little gesture."

If there was one similar thing swimming around in their heads, it's that they wanted to repeat the same thing again, but neither dared to. They could always blame it on alcohol, even though both only had one drink.

Clara thought that it was time for her to leave in case she couldn't help herself again and argue him into another snogging session. "I think I should get going."

"Right, yeah," the Doctor stammered as he rubbed the back of his neck.

He bit her lower lip, wanting to leave, but not quite being able to. "See you tomorrow."

"Yes, tomorrow," he agreed, avoiding eye contact. "Good night," he murmured before turning around to head to the bedroom. Halfway through, he stopped and looked over his shoulder and was disappointed to see that Clara had disappeared.

That was the best snogging session he had ever experienced in his life and he wasn't sure if he could look at her the same way again. He was falling in love with his fairy godmother. He's going to hell.

\-- 

"So, the pub plan was another miss," Jack pretended to sound disappointed as he perused through the report. "Pity."

"He seems to have an issue with relationships, really, as in relationships in general," Clara explained. She theorised that it had something to do with his past.

"That's what we thought, too," Missy commented as she produced a yellow folder from one of the drawers. "Mummy and daddy issues."

She should have known. She should have been more diligent with her homework. Maybe her negligence is due to her looking forward to being retired. She couldn't say. It then struck her. Her powers.

"There's also something else," the Impossible Girl began as she reached for the folder. "My powers seem to be inconsistent and this is the first time it's happening."

Her supervisors exchanged looks. "What do you mean by that?"

"I'm having trouble cloaking myself in public."

Jack remained silent, putting on an act as if he was thinking while Missy drummed her fingers on the desk. "Maybe a trip to the health clinic should give you answers."

"Could be anything, so better get it checked."

Clara nodded, rising to her feet and clutching the file close to her. There was a voice at the back of her head telling her what was wrong, but she refused to listen to it. She couldn't be. It's impossible.

She can't be in love with John Smith.


	9. Chapter 9

"I'm afraid that you have a case of the Rollercoaster," Martha Stewart revealed to her patient who sat next to her.

The Rollercoaster. Couldn't they think of a better name? Not likely since that's what everyone keeps calling it that. It made sense why her powers were being inconsistent. She's unable to control her emotions.

"Have you been experiencing a lot of stress lately with your godchild?"

She could go on about what was wrong with John and how he drives her up the wall, but Clara Oswin Oswald knew that wasn't the reason why her powers decide to shut down. She had dealt with much worse godchildren and never had an issue. "Nothing I couldn't handle."

"What's different this time?" Martha asked as if she knew what really troubled Clara.

The Impossible Girl merely shrugged, making it seem as if she didn't have a clue at all, as if there was nothing on her mind when in reality there was. A certain Scotsman was on her mind.

"We've been friends since we were kids, so spill," Martha chuckled.

Clara opened her mouth and then a thought occurred to her. She could do some research first. Was there such a thing in the first place? "I'll tell you once I figure it out."

The physician shot her friend a puzzling look. "It's the current human you're dealing with," she guessed and correctly at that too. "Why, what did he or she do?"

"Nothing."

It was indeed the truth. John did nothing. All he did was simply exist and then she came into his life, or rather he came to hers. It didn't matter which order it was since she was falling in love with him.

"I find that difficult to believe."

Clara covered her face with a hand. "I promise you that I'll tell you more once I figure it out."

Martha sighed in defeat. "Ok, fairy godmother, you've never been this vague before."

Well, she had to since she didn't know what the specific rules were, so that meant she'd have to pop into the universal library at some point. "If it's any consolation, you'll be the first to know."

\-- 

Bill Potts couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong before her. It was too quiet. She was, as usual, sitting behind the desk, revising for a test and yet, she was momentarily distracted by the tension in the air. John sat in his favourite chair, only this time, she was sure he wasn't reading. His eyes were moving and yet the pages weren't turning.

Then, there's Clara, reading a book titled 'Jane Eyre'. Her eyes were still most of the time and there was the occasional blinking, but again, the pages weren't turning. It was as if her mind was somewhere else.

When she came into the shop, they had greeted her warmly as they usually would, but Bill was certain and the two hadn't exchanged words with one another since she arrived, and dare she say, beforehand too.

The schoolgirl lowered her pencil and whispered to the fairy godmother. "Are you guys ok?"

The Impossible Girl looked away from the book, eyebrows raised. "Yes?"

"Are you guys ok?" Bill repeated.

Clara forced a smile. "Of course, we are."

The eleven-year-old pursed her lips. "You know I'm not stupid, right?" she said. "I know I'm only a child, but that doesn't mean I can't see."

The fairy godmother was slightly taken by surprise. "Can't see what?"

"That there's something going on between you and John."

She wanted to do nothing more than scream but held her tongue. Is it that obvious now? She couldn't possibly know about what happened the previous night. Come to think of it, they hadn't spoken much aside from exchanging a simple 'hello' earlier in the day.

Not to mention that she finally read the latest file from Missy. It made sense why John is always reluctant in starting relationships. She knew the issue but wasn't so sure how to address it for now.

"Are you guys fighting?"

At least Bill didn't ask if they had shagged. "No, we didn't fight," Clara began. "It's just that we're… adults… and adults have problems they can't really discuss with children."

The child processed her words carefully. "Are you suggesting you're pregnant because you and John shagged?" she whispered.

The Impossible Girl's eyes widened in disbelief. "No, and who told you what that means?"

"My mum," Bill answered. "She explained everything to me… it was awkward but informative, but still awkward."

Oh, well. At least they didn't have to explain what shag means ever again.

"So why are you guys ignoring each other, then?"

Clara took a moment to reflect. Since the previous night, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about John. There was just something different about their kiss. She kept telling herself that it was because she has been single for over two hundred years and that was the reason why she was acting on her emotions, but the more she tried convincing herself, the more she realised that wasn't the case. "We're not ignoring each other," Clara whispered back, hoping that she sounded convincing.

Bill scrunched up her nose as she saw through the lie. "I've known you for weeks now and you guys would usually argue over something," she explained.

Brilliant child. "Ok, fine, you caught us," Clara admitted. "But I can't tell you much more than that."

"Why not?"

"This is a matter between-"

"Adults," Bill finished. The eleven-year-old wished that people would stop treating her like a fragile child.

While they were speaking in hushed tones, the Doctor couldn't help but wonder what his fairy godmother and Bill were talking about. He tried listening in, but every time he moved his chair just a wee bit closer, Clara would always look in his direction and he would have to return to the book, not that he was even paying attention in the first place.

If John was sure of one thing, it was that he likes kissing but only with Clara. And that was a problem. She had made it clear that they couldn't be together. What happens now? He knew that whatever trick she had up her sleeve isn't going to work or backfire as it did at the pub.

However, if it is indeed true that they couldn't be in a relationship, then why the hell did Clara snog the living old man out of him? She could have just shown him how to kiss, but no, they ended up acting like teenagers.

"John," Bill called. "John."

He snapped out of his thoughts and noticed Clara walking past him before greeting a customer who had just walked in. "Yeah, sorry, I was just lost in this book."

"What were you thinking about?" the girl inquired.

"Nothing."

"Liar, liar, pants on fire."

He chuckled in response. "As you can see, my trousers are not on fire," he said, leaning against the chair and reached for the warm mug on the counter. His hand slipped and the hot drink spilt all over his fresh, clean trousers. He hissed in pain.

Bill Potts hadn't expected such an accident and remained silent, eyes wide.

"Are you ok?" Clara asked as she ran over to him, leaving behind the customer.

"Yeah, fine," he replied, wiping the stain with his hand.

"You have a fresh pair of trousers in the wardrobe," she stated.

He finally looked up. "Yes, I know."

"I meant the black one and not the plaid trousers." She always found it amusing when he pouted and decided to give him a break. "Fine, you get a free pass."

John nodded gratefully and left the shop to go upstairs and get changed. When he opened his wardrobe, he was surprised to see the trousers Clara had mentioned. When was the last time he had worn these? They looked to be dry cleaned. Did she have something to do with it? He could wear this on a special occasion. Carefully, he placed the item of clothing back in its original spot and grabbed his favourite pair.

"I always find it adorable when couples are able to work together," the customer commented when Clara returned.

"We're actually not a couple," the Impossible Girl corrected politely.

The woman gave her a sceptical look. "Are you single?"

"… Yes."

"Is he single?"

She knew where this was headed. "Yes."

"What's stopping the both of you then?"

Oh, she had absolutely no idea. Clara forced a laugh in response. "We're just friends."

"Didn't look like it from where I was standing, love," the customer commented.

The fairy godmother decided to change the subject. "So, have you decided which keyboard you'd like to buy for your granddaughter?"

The woman smiled. "I think I'll go with the Casio one."

"Great, I'll just go get it at the back," Clara stated before turning around and walking past the Doctor who had returned.

The old lady then knew that the two were into each other. All it took was one simple glance.

"Which one was it that you're purchasing?" John inquired as he switched on the monitor.

"That one over there," she answered, pointing at the keyboard. "Your friend was lovely."

He wasn't sure how to respond to such a remark. "Um… thank you... customer service is a priority here."

She then decided to be straightforward. "You should ask her out on a date."

At this point, he wasn't even surprised anymore, just confused as to why people seem to think that they have a thing for each other. Well, he knew there was a part of him that fancied her, but was it that obvious? "I'm not really her type."

"Sounds more like a feeble excuse," the old woman interjected. "Take it from me; life is too short to not take a leap of faith."

"She's right, you know," Bill added.

John whirled around. "Bill, I'm sure you're well aware that eavesdropping is rude."

The year 7 student shrugged. "You guys were talking loud enough."

The customer beamed. "Even a child sees it."

The Doctor didn't have a chance to speak as Clara finally returned with the musical keyboard. "Finally found it!" she announced, setting it on the counter before noticing how awkward John looked.

"I was just telling him he's a handsome chap and wouldn't mind dating him if I was a bit younger," the old woman explained and then winked at the Scotsman.

"Well, he is single."

"Ok, that's enough," he grumbled before scanning the barcode and ringing up the customer.

Once she was out the door, the Impossible Girl decided to question him. "So, what were you two talking about other than flirting?"

John settled back in his seat. "We weren't flirting."

She had a feeling the woman had told him the same thing she told her and decided to let it go. She sat in the chair opposite of Bill and was surprised to find a note addressed to her. When Clara unfolded the paper, it said: 'He likes you'.

Clara looked up and locked eyes with the child. It looks like she would have to make a quick trip to the library in her world.


	10. Chapter 10

When Clara Oswin Oswald reached the Universal Library, she immediately made her way to one section of the building that most fairies didn't linger around in: Law. Surely, she could find the answer she was looking for from 'Book of Fairy Godparents', edition 1212. They say that one should never judge a book by its cover and that was certainly the case for the rule book. It was thin. It looked as if it only had about fifty pages in total. The reason behind this, however, is because the book has more than a thousand pages on the inside.

Now, where would a rule for her issue be? Which page? Which section? Is there even such a thing to begin with? She decided to sit on the carpeted floor, leaning against the large wooden bookshelf. There has to be something. They've been around for a very, very long time, after all.

The closest thing she could find so far was the one she was far too familiar with: _The role of a fairy godparent is to assist their godchild in hardship and once the goal has been achieved, a memory wipe of the child's knowledge regarding the existence of fairies must occur._

Nothing that addresses the relationship between fairies and humans.

What now?

"Just think rationally, Clara," she whispered to herself, setting the book next to her. Right, she should focus on finishing her task first. Find someone for John, he gets his happily ever after and then her feelings for him will have hopefully subsided. Sounds like a plan.

She could do this. This is her final case before retiring. There will surely be someone for her when she retires. Plenty of fish in the sea as they say.

The Impossible Girl then groaned and lowered her head. She had trouble imagining anyone else aside from John. What about him, though? Does he feel the same way? What if he does? Her intuition keeps saying that he fancies her, but it's not as if she can get confirmation from him. They'll just be looping around the missing or non-existent rule.

There was only one last thing to do now while she's still in her world: Talk to Martha.

The wait to see her childhood didn't take longer than a few minutes and when she finally walked into the office, the physician was surprised to see her friend so soon since their last meeting.

"Please tell me your condition isn't getting worse," Martha said in concern.

"It can get worse?" Clara repeated in surprise.

She flashed a sympathetic smile. "Anything ranging from your powers working on its own to it freezing time for a few moments within an area in more severe cases."

The Impossible Girl was glad that she still had some control over her emotions. "No, nothing like that."

"Good then," Martha replied. "So what brings you here?"

"It's about last time."

The physician raised an eyebrow. "Didn't think it would be so soon – this is about your fairy godchild, right?"

"Yeah," Clara confirmed, finally settling down in the empty seat. Her fairy godchild. He's not a child, that's for sure. "I can't find what I'm looking for."

Martha didn't quite understand what she was implying. "Not sure if I follow."

There was a well-established rule in their world that fairy godparents were not allowed to mention their case to anyone aside from their supervisors. It had always been a sort of grey area. Some things were ok and some weren't. "The case that I'm handling now."

"Yeah, I get that."

"And I'm sure you're aware that my powers have been acting up lately," Clara hinted. "Since I got the case."

Martha's eyes widened. "Oh, ok, I get it," she murmured, and a thought occurred to her. "Wait, when you said it like that, do you mean you and this case-"

"He's an adult!" Clara exclaimed.

"I wasn't even implying that," her friend argued. "What I was about to say was that, are you and this guy…"

"No, no, no," the Impossible Girl immediately denied. "We are not together or anything like that."

The physician was even more curious now. "I know I'm not supposed to ask, but could you at least give me a hint here over what happened?"

"The plan was to get him a girlfriend, wife or significant other – something in that sense."

"Ok, and how did you end up falling for your own godchild?"

"It just happened," she explained in a defeated tone. "Never saw it coming."

Martha processed her friend's words carefully. What was she supposed to say? She had never dealt with something like this before. As a matter of fact, this was the first time she was experiencing such a thing first hand. "Ok, so how does he feel about you?" she inquired. "Because if he feels the same way, technically speaking, you achieved your objective."

The fairy godmother blew air between her teeth. John's feelings for her were still unclear. It's not too late for her to find him somebody. They still have time. "I don't know, I really don't," she confessed. "And the objective is to get him happily ever after who's not me, so we're not close to being there."

"What's your plan, then?"

The next logical step would be to find his happily ever after. By then, her feelings for him should hopefully subside. "Pushing forward."

It was then Martha decided to take the opportunity to give her two cents. "I don't fully know what's going on between the two of you, but this isn't the first time this has ever happened."

"I can imagine," Clara murmured. "Never personally heard such a thing before, though."

Her childhood friend smiled. "Let's just say that I heard this from a friend who knows a friend who knows a friend's friend, as ridiculous as that sounds," she began. "Anyway, this godparent fell in love with a human and it was said that he had to give up his memories and powers to be with her."

The Impossible Girl tapped her fingers on the armrest. "When you say memories…"

"His memories of her and of his time as a fairy, or at least that's what my friend told me."

"Are they happy at least?"

Martha shrugged. "I didn't ask since the thought of losing the memory of the one you love scared me enough."

Clara's shoulders sunk. Would it be worth losing her memories? The bigger question would have to be whether her feelings are even strong for him to begin with.

It looks like there is nothing much for her to do here aside from returning to his world.

"Thanks, Martha," she said sincerely.

Her friend laughed. "I wasn't much of a help."

"At least I was able to talk to someone about this," the Impossible Girl pointed out. She needed to get this case over with.

\-- 

When John woke up in the morning, he had expected Clara to be waiting for him in the kitchen, munching on his snacks or lounging in the living room, but to his surprise, she wasn't present in his flat at all. He even went downstairs to see if she was in the shop.

This sort of thing had never happened since she arrived, and questions began circling his mind. Why isn't she here as she usually would? He doubted that his fairy godmother was gone for good since she was perfectly fine the previous night, well, not since their snogging lesson, but there was no indication of her leaving for good, not that he wanted her to.

If the Doctor dared to admit, he was enjoying her company and had been for a while now. There was just one wee problem with their relationship: He was falling for her. She had made it clear from the beginning that her job was to find him someone and he was sure that it implied anyone but her.

The question now is, will they ever get anywhere?

John scratched the back of his head and collapsed on the sofa. Should he be honest with her? Does he even have the guts, to begin with?

Eventually, he decided to make breakfast as the hunger was beginning to cloud his thoughts.

By the time Bill arrived, all smiles and happy that she would be spending time with her two babysitters, Clara still hadn't shown up and he was beginning to get worried.

The Doctor regretted not asking if there was any way to contact her.

"Where's Clara?" the child asked as she set the backpack down on the ground.

John considered his words carefully. "She's… on leave today to go out with her friends," he lied.

"Oh," Bill managed as a look of disappointment washed over her face. "I like having her around."

He does, too, not that Bill needs to know.

"She makes you less grumpy."

He had to pout to prevent himself from cracking a smile at such a snarky comment. "Does she?"

"Yeah, and everyone knows you like her," the girl added.

The Doctor whirled around. "That's none of your business, Bill."

"True, but I really can't stand how you guys are lying to each other."

He made a mental note to tell her mother that the child could be a very successful psychiatrist one day, or maybe a couple's therapist.

His silence made the eleven-year-old beam in victory. "See, you need to stop treating me like a kid."

"You are a kid," he pointed out.

"But you don't seem to act like an adult," she shot back quietly.

The Doctor growled, accepting his defeat just as the child started laughing. Bill has clearly been spending too much time with a certain Clara Oswin Oswald.

"I agree with that statement," Clara said as she walked into the shop from the storage room.

The schoolgirl's face immediately lit up. "John said you took the day off today to spend time with your friends."

Well, technically speaking, that was true since she did spend a bit more time in her world and caught up with Martha. "Yeah, just needed to have some me time and run a few errands."

"We're far from busy anyway," the Doctor commented quietly, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

The Impossible Girl shot him a look. "Oh, don't worry," she murmured, locking eyes. "I have something for you."

Bill had absolutely no idea what her two babysitters were on about, but she was glad that they were finally on speaking terms again.

"Anyway, Bill," Clara said, changing the subject. "How was school?"

While the two girls were chatting, John couldn't help but wonder what his fairy godparent had planned and where she had actually gone off to. He could sense that whatever it was, he wouldn't like it. Another bloody date? He prayed to God not.

A few hours later, once the Doctor and Clara were finally alone and Bill had returned home, the Impossible Girl decided to reveal to him what her surprise was. "I booked you a ticket."

John, who was re-stringing a guitar, stopped and looked up with a shocked expression. "What?"

"Glasgow," she revealed. "I'm taking you to Glasgow tomorrow."

It took him several seconds to understand what she was saying and when he finally did, he scowled and returned to work. "No."

"We're going anyway and you'll stay there for the night."

He leaned back against the chair and sighed. "It's just a boring city," he said, shutting his eyes and wondering why she would want him to travel there. "What are you even planning to do there?"

"Don't you miss your hometown?"

"No," he growled before a thought struck him. "You're not doing this just to matchmake me with my first girlfriend, right?"

"What?!" the fairy godmother exclaimed. Where the hell did he get such a ridiculous idea? "No, that's stupid."

"Forgive me for being blunt, but your other plans have been far from successful and yes, it is stupid."

Clara crossed her arms and smirked. This time, it was going to be different since her goal for the trip has nothing to do with his love life or lack thereof, really. "You've been cooped up here for too long, so I'm doing you a favour."

The Doctor wondered if there was more to this trip than she was letting on. Unfortunately, there was only one way to find out since the word 'no' is not in her vocabulary.


	11. Chapter 11

"This is ridiculous," John grumbled as he packed a small suitcase the very next morning, just a few hours before catching his train.

He didn't get much sleep either as he spent most of his time in bed wondering why Clara was taking him to his hometown. He had come to the conclusion, at around two in the morning, that it was because she took a deeper look into his childhood.

He could imagine her telling him all about the strained relationship he had with his parents and he wanted to hear nothing of it. He silently prayed that she wouldn't.

Clara examined a Bowie shirt and pondered whether it should go into the suitcase. "More folding those clothes and less complaining," she muttered before setting it back in the wardrobe.

"Yes, boss," he replied sarcastically before she tossed him a pair of navy-blue trousers. She, for some reason, had insisted on helping him pack, well, more like dictating his clothing choice, for some strange reason. "This should be enough since you said we'll only be there for a night."

She looked in his suitcase and nodded in approval. The attire she had chosen will hopefully catch some women's attention since she banned anything that made him look like a space hobo.

"Isn't there a quicker way for us to get to Glasgow?" he asked, implying that she uses her magic to transport him there instead.

Clara chuckled. "No magic since you have to travel there like everybody else."

"And you don't have to?" he continued, shutting the suitcase.

She shot him a smug look. "Perks of being a fairy godmother."

He glowered in response. "That's unfair."

"Deal with it."

"If I have to suffer through a five-hour journey, then so will you."

It was utterly ludicrous that John had to go through all the trouble to reach Glasgow while Clara could just appear there in the blink of an eye.

"Think of all the beautiful scenery you get to see."

His stoic facial expression remained unchanged. "You can admire the scenery for all I care and if you're not travelling by train, then you can forget about this whole trip."

What surprised him, however, was that the Impossible Girl remained calm. Too calm and it scared him a bit. "Fine, but you'll have to show me around where you grew up."

It's been so long since he left Glasgow and there was no doubt Bishopbriggs has changed a lot since then. "Deal."

Clara shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. "Ok, if that's it, we should probably leave."

The Doctor grabbed his suitcase from the mattress and followed her out the door. It's going to be a long journey.

\-- 

Clara Oswald shifted in her seat a bit, eyes never leaving the book she was reading, but she had trouble concentrating. The frown emitting from the man sitting next to her was audible. Far too audible for her liking.

"I'm just asking you to show me around the city, nothing more than that," she murmured. "So, stop frowning."

John raised an eyebrow. "Is it that obvious?"

"Yes," she sighed, closing the book and glancing at him. "Loosen up a bit."

He reached for the packet of chocolates lying on the tray table and opening it. "Under one condition."

The fairy godmother blinked once, twice. He's making demands now? "What would that be?" she inquired civilly.

"Explain to me why we're going there."

"I did."

"You're only telling me half the truth."

Is it bad that he can now read her? Tell the difference whenever she's lying or not? That was supposed to be her thing. She's a fairy godmother! "I'm not telling you what it is since you'll probably buy a ticket to London the moment we get to Glasgow."

"I'm tempted to do that right now," he grumbled, crossing his arms. "Is this about my parents?"

Clara paused a moment to think of the right words. "What if it's not?" she said, stealing some of his M&M's.

The Doctor couldn't see any other reason why they were on their way to Scotland. It was clear she was trying to change the subject. "I don't believe you."

The Impossible Girl sighed in defeat and shut the book. "Yes, and it's because you have issues with them."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but they're dead."

Clara decided to take the whole packet of chocolates from him. "I know, but it wouldn't hurt to try and let go of the past."

He wasn't sure what she meant by that and didn't want to think about anything related to his deceased parents at the moment, so he nodded at the book. "For someone who's been a fairy godmother for a long time, I'm surprised you've just started reading that."

"I've read it once before," she answered. "Reading this again and Mr Rochester reminds me of you."

Is he supposed to that comment as a compliment?

The Doctor recalled reading the book back when he was in school and he didn't remember much details about it aside from a few details including that Mr Rochester had an insane wife he locked up in the attic. "I don't have a spouse locked up in a hidden room."

Clara chuckled. "I wasn't even suggesting that."

Sometimes, John could be genuinely funny, unintentionally, and she loves this side of him.

He knitted his eyebrows together. "How am I similar to him, then, as you've suggested?"

She bit her lower lip before returning to the book once more. "The grumpy attitude," she murmured quietly.

He would have loved to point that she then reminded him of the main character herself. Doesn't take shite from anyone, including her love interest, but he decided against it, preferring to maintain peace.

\-- 

Henry McTavish had met many customers. Some were travellers from far away countries, and some were people just a short walk from the hotel, needing to spend the night in a room since their bedroom was leaking and some were just plain stood out, in both good and bad ways.

The two people bickering as they entered the lobby of the hotel caught his attention, because well, they were in his line of sight and bickering.

"So much for you being confident that you knew where we were going," Clara grumbled.

"It's not my fault the city's changed a lot since and I left and there was no harm in walking for ten minutes longer," John replied defensively.

"Thirty," she corrected. "If you had used the app, we would have arrived earlier."

Honeymoon, maybe? 10 quid on a bet that they're on their honeymoon.

As the manager manning the check-in counter, he immediately put on a smile when he made eye contact with the hubby. "Good afternoon, welcome to Hotel Gallifrey."

"John Smith."

Time to see if his assumption was right. Henry typed in the man's name and after a second, he looked up from the monitor and beamed. "Yep, I have you right here – the honeymoon suite."

The Doctor nearly dropped his phone, mouth agape.

Clara, on the other hand, pressed her lips together, wondering why on earth people kept getting the wrong idea about them. "We're…," she began, thinking of an explanation. She could say that they were friends and was convinced the man behind the desk wouldn't believe since she came in with John.

"We're not married - we're just friends."

Henry's facial expression remained neutral, but he wanted nothing more than to ask why on earth was his so-called 'lady friend' checking in with him. "Ok, let me just check again - must have typed in the wrong name."

While the manager was pretending to run another check through the system, John and Clara exchanged looks. At this point, they could pull-off as a couple celebrating their first-year anniversary and likely get free stuff.

"Sorry about earlier, but I do believe I have the right details now," Henry said, preparing their key card. "Your room is on the 12th floor, room 432 – you can take the lift to your left."

John took the key nodded in acknowledgement before grabbing his suitcase and headed for the lift, followed closely by the Impossible Girl.

The lift journey to the 12th floor was a silent and awkward one. Neither spoke nor made eye contact.

"Did you think we could have been upgraded to a nicer room if we had played along?" he asked, unable to help himself from grinning.

She shrugged. "It's too late to find out now… even a free cookie would have been fine."

"I know a small bakery that I used to go to," he said, allowing her to step out of the lift first. "Went there all the time for the chocolate chip and sea salt cookies."

Clara's mouth watered at the thought of food. She didn't eat much on their journey. "Maybe you can take me there."

They stopped in front of room 432 and John tapped the card against the door, waiting for the flashing blue light to turn green and when it finally did, he pulled down the door handle before stepping inside.

It was a small room, just enough to fit at most, two people, which is to be expected for a hotel located in the centre of the city.

Almost immediately, the Doctor froze and stared at the sight that bothered him.

The Impossible Girl frowned before she saw the bathroom. It was transparent. "Just so we're clear, I had nothing to do with this."

He turned around to face her. "You were the one who booked everything."

She didn't recall anything strange about the hotel. The reviews were good, and the price was decent, not that it mattered since it was all done by magic, but it was a no brainer to book a room. "It's not my fault I didn't check what the room looks like," she argued. "Besides, it's not like there's anybody else here."

"I meant you."

The fairy godmother rolled her eyes. What's she going to do? Steal a look while he showers? "For the billionth time, you're not-"

"I'm not your type, I know," he finished, hoping that he didn't sound disappointed. "I still don't trust you."

"Well, it's not like we're going to share a room," she sighed.

"Yes, but you like showing up unexpectedly."

Clara wondered why he was so self-conscious about his appearance. "I'm sure you have a lovely arse, but I wouldn't care."

The Doctor's face turned bright red before he coughed and placed the suitcase next to the bed.

That ought to teach him, but now, she couldn't help but wonder if he indeed does have a good backside. No, she should stop thinking like that.

"If you're done, we should head out," she suggested. "I'm starving, I know for a fact you are, too, and I want to go sightseeing."

He pocketed the key into his jacket and followed her out the door. "I'm still right, though, aren't I, about what I said?"

She furrowed her brows. "That's what's preventing you from being happy."

"Are you now an expert on human psychology?" he asked sarcastically, shutting the door.

The Impossible Girl shrugged, not wanting to reveal how she discovered the information.

With a defeated look, John decided that talking to someone about his past and parents wouldn't kill him. What other choice did he have? "Where exactly do you want to go?"

"A nice bakery or restaurant of your choice."

"And after that?"

She thought carefully for a moment. "We can start with your childhood home."

"It was sold over thirty years ago," he stated.

"Doesn't matter."

John was curious as to what she meant and there was only one way to find out.

After they made a quick visit to the bakery he recommended, which miraculously was still situated in the same street and owned by the same family, the two made their way to the Doctor's childhood home in Bearsden.

The moment he saw his previous home, his facial expression morphed from contempt to sadness. He spent almost fifteen years of his life in that home and it wasn't exactly filled with fun memories.


	12. Chapter 12

Clara stared at the man standing next to her, allowing him time to just leave him with his thoughts. She wasn't sure how to describe his mood at the moment. Sombre. That was probably as close as she could get.

Memories spent in the home then flooded his mind. From his 7th birthday celebration to spending time alone on most days while both his parents were on-call at the hospital. One of his fondest memories was of his grandfather filling a kiddie pool he bought with water while he impatiently waited to get in.

After a few moments of silence, he finally spoke. "Everything looks almost the same except for that extension there," he said, nodding to the new addition.

She stepped closer to him. "Do you miss this place?" she asked quietly.

John thought of the question carefully, asking himself the same thing. Yes, his life wasn't all gloom and missed birthday celebrations, but it was mostly just those things. His mother and father provided him with everything a child needed except love. He wasn't complaining, but they weren't exactly the best parents in the world, especially after their divorce. "Sometimes, and I only have a few fond memories – not much to hold on to."

"What are they, then?" Clara queried, curious as to what his answer will be.

The Doctor smiled. "Grandad and nan got me a kiddie pool and I immediately took it outside," he explained. "They came to visit one summer evening to babysit me."

The fairy godmother couldn't help but curve her lips as she heard the story. "Sounds like you had a lot of fun."

John looked down at the pavement, flashing his teeth. "They were the best babysitters in the whole universe."

Clara knew that her next question would be a tough one, but as they say, no pain, no gain. "What about your parents, where were they?"

His smile dropped. "On-call at their respective hospitals," he explained. "Always tending their patients and never spending much time with their son."

"I understood why since I was a doctor myself, but to an eight-year-old, it was devastating," he continued, voice breaking. "It was always nan or grandad who picked me up from school and it was they who tried to make my birthday feel special."

The Impossible Girl gently grabbed John's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. He gripped her hand in response.

All the things he wanted to say to his parents. All the emotions he bottled up were slowly dissipating. He hadn't told anyone about his past. Not a single soul until now.

He sighed, shoulders slumped. "It got even worse when my mam discovered that my father was having an affair with a colleague."

Clara had read about this information from his file and wondered why a fairy godparent hadn't been assigned to him sooner. Maybe it was because he had his grandparents at the time. She remained silent, only caressing the back of his hand with her thumb reassuringly.

"It was the reason I only stayed here until I was fifteen."

His parents had always made him wonder why they got married in the first place. Maybe they loved each other at the beginning before their feelings faded away.

"You're not still angry at them, are you?"

Yes? No? Bit of both? His teenage self would have said yes. Now that's he's much older, he wasn't sure. All he wanted to know was where it all went wrong.

He had every right to be. John barely saw his parents and even if he did, it was during late at night when they return home, too exhausted to entertain their son.

"You need to learn to forgive them."

Her words tore him out of his thoughts. "I know," he answered quietly.

"They may not have given you all the attention you deserve but trust me when I say that they wished they could have done things differently."

"Where did you even get-"

"Fairy intel," she replied. "That's all I'm telling."

He thought just as much that she might have used her magic to travel back in time or something. Could fairies time travel? A question for another day.

She decided that they had had enough time reminiscing his childhood. Baby steps. "I think that's enough brooding for one day."

He lifted an eyebrow. "Whose idea was it to take me here?" he retorted as they began walking, hands still linked.

"Definitely not mine," she answered playfully.

The Doctor looked over his shoulder and took a final glance at his childhood home. After about fifteen minutes of walking, he began to guess where Clara was taking him next. It was the only logical next step and not to mention that he was still familiar with the route.

The last time he was in his grandparent's home was when he was twenty—four. His mother, nan and him were the sole occupants of the house after the passing of his grandad a few years prior to his departure from Glasgow. He first moved in when he was a teenager, shortly after his parents separated.

The house, unsurprisingly, looks the same structurally.

"You were happier here, weren't you?"

He nodded in agreement. "Mam was busy as always and only phoned me every time she couldn't get home on time," he explained. "But I had my grandparents."

"It must have been tough while your parents were going through the divorce," Clara commented sympathetically.

"It made me wonder how nan and granddad got along so well while mam and dad couldn't even stand each other," he said, looking up into the gloomy skies. "I supposed my grandparents were two of a kind."

"Communication," she revealed. "It was all about talking and being honest with one another."

"That's what your parents lacked," the fairy godmother continued. "And that's what you lack, too."

John silently agreed with her statement.

"You were making the same mistakes your parents did."

She knew that there was one more reason and tried to get him to admit it.

"I was also afraid," he finally admitted. "I was afraid of turning into them."

He was terrified of falling in love and eventually repeating the same mistakes his parents did, ruining something that took years to build. It was such a scary thought.

Then there's the question of love. To him, he wasn't sure what it truly meant. He knew it was more than just being attracted to someone, but what is it? The feeling of never wanting to let go? Security? Happiness? Soul mate?

John remembered a time when he had asked his grandfather about what it means to love someone and he merely smiled, telling him that it was different for everybody and that he would eventually understand what it means to him.

Several decades later, and he still hasn't found the answer.

"There's just one thing I don't quite understand," Clara murmured, and he immediately looked at her. "Why did you become a doctor?"

The Doctor shrugged in response. "I wanted to prove them wrong, but I ended up proving myself wrong," he answered quietly. "But my father, for the first time, took an interest when he discovered I was studying medicine."

As she was about to ask him another question, he beat her to it, knowing exactly what she wanted to say. "I only lasted as a doctor for about ten years before deciding to quit and use the inheritance money to open a guitar shop since I wanted to become a rock star when I was a sixteen."

"I was actually going to ask about what your parents thought of it," the Impossible Girl revealed, finding it amusing that he was trying to guess her next question. "And you've definitely achieved your dream of becoming a so-called rock star with the plaid trousers at home."

He pouted at her teasing. So much for him guessing correctly. "Ah, well, surprisingly, they weren't mad… or happy – just neutral, I suppose."

As he began recalling the memory, a thought struck him. "Actually, I remember being surprised when I noticed that my mam looked relieved," he stated. "I thought I was just imagining it."

She beamed. If there was one thing he should know, it's his parents loved him. They just had difficulty showing it. "Would you like to know a secret?"

He stared at her with his eyebrows raised.

"Your mum and dad were actually relieved to hear that you were moving away from the medical profession."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing and blinked a few times, processing her words before coming to the conclusion that she might have received the wrong information. "That doesn't-"

"Fairy godmother, remember?"

"I'm still having a hard time believing you, fairy godmother."

Clara shrugged before she gently pulled his arm as they began walking the other direction, back to the bus stop. "It's entirely up to you if we want to believe me or not."

John was silent throughout the whole journey until they passed his childhood home. "What did you find out?"

She locked eyes with his. "They regret not showing you enough love, not giving you enough attention and not doing anything about it."

Before the Impossible Girl had the chance to say anything else, the bus arrived, and she decided to reserve her comments when they had a bit more privacy.

Unbeknownst to them, there were to figures sitting at the back of the bus. One hid her face with a magazine and the other wore sunglasses and had a rather peculiar looking moustache.

"Hand-holding," Jack discreetly said to Missy.

"Do I look like I'm blind to you?"

"This is a different level kind of hand-holding."

"I can see that," she said through gritted teeth, wanting nothing more than to hit his head with the magazine. "Now shut up before they see us."

Jack continued to spy on Clara and John as inconspicuously as he could and when they got up, he raised the newspaper a bit higher to hide his face.

"Am I the only one who felt a bit weird being on that bus?" the fairy godmother asked once they hopped out of the bus.

The Doctor looked behind him and stared at the public transportation. "What do you mean?"

She shook her head. "Must have been my imagination," she murmured before nodding to the café across the street. She had caught him eyeing the eatery the moment it was in sight and knew he was hungry. "I know how easily you get hangry."

"I don't get hangry," he stated defensively. "But I am a bit hungry," he admitted quietly as they cross the road.

Their physical contact came to an end when they were seated in a corner, both just realising that they had been holding each other's hands beforehand.

"You shouldn't let the past hold you back," she stated, after minutes of silence as they browse through the menu. "You can shape your future however you like it and at the end of the day, nothing else matters but by how you handle the present."

John knew that Clara meant more than just about finding a relationship. For the first time, he was, well, is glad to have met her. The only problem is that she's his fairy godmother. "Can I ask you something?"

She lowered the menu. "Yes?"

"Let's just say that I've found someone," he began, choosing his words carefully. "Will you know that immediately?"

She chuckled. "I'm not a psychic, daft old man."

"Right, so what happens if I tell you then?"

She eyed him, wondering if he was just asking out of curiosity of if he had found someone, not that she's aware of. "I was told to help you find your happy ending – they weren't exactly specific about it, but if I had to guess, my job is complete once your feelings are made clear and she feels the same way."

"Oh," he managed. Is that some sort of paradox, then, assuming Clara feels the same way, which is not the case, so it seems that they'll be together for a while, which he didn't mind, but their impending separation will surely break his heart.

For now, he would just enjoy things as they are.


	13. Chapter 13

"So, how's the London trip so far?" Missy asked lazily as she leaned against the office chair, knowing full well how Clara's adventure with John is going.

"Made any progress trying to get him to deal with his mummy and daddy issues?" Jack added.

Clara began explaining the plan she had come up with and recounted the events which took place before her meeting.

Missy and Jack listened intently as if they weren't aware of the current development until the fairy godmother briefed them.

"I don't think we'll see much improvement in him immediately, but he should hopefully open up a bit more with time," the Impossible Girl said.

"So no updates on his love life then?" Jack queried, wanting to gauge her reaction.

She shook her head. "Can't really do anything about that, I'm afraid until this issue is resolved."

Ha. If only the fairy godmother knew what was truly going on behind the scenes.

Missy decided to test her once more. "Well, if you think that's the best course for him, then that's fine," she began. "We recently thought of introducing him to another fairy godchild and that would enable you to work together with another fairy godparent."

Clara bit her tongue, not wanting to tell them how utterly rubbish their plan is since one, she prefers working exclusively with her godchildren. Help is always welcomed, but not a partnership. Two, John would surely resist the matchmaking in any way possible. She inhaled. "I don't think that's a good idea."

She hoped she didn't sound cross or annoyed.

Missy shrugged. "It was just a suggestion, nothing more."

The Impossible Girl nodded curtly before she got to her feet.

"We look forward to hearing from you in the next meeting," Jack said as she turned around and headed for the doors.

Once Clara had left, he turned to his colleague and grinned. "Ok, I think it's clear she has the hots for him."

"Yes, we've established that," Missy replied in a bored tone.

"So what's the plan with the whole transparent en-suite, then?" he asked. Shortly after they received information that Clara made plans to take the Doctor to Glasgow, Missy sent Jack to the hotel and instructed him to transform the bathroom.

Missy grinned, leaning back. "It's all about timing," she sang. "Why did you think we're having a meeting right now?"

He then put two and two together and mouthed a 'wow'. "Any chance we could take a peek so I can admire his as-"

The head of fairies kicked Jack's chair to the wall, having had enough of his unfiltered comments. "You need help and not from me."

He swivelled back to the chair. "Nothing wrong with being fun and flirty and appreciating beauty."

Missy sighed. "Again, you need help because your definition of all those things is skewered."

\-- 

John Smith was woken by a loud ringing coming from his smartphone. He lifted his head and blinked several times as his eyes adjusted to the brightness before he managed to read the screen. The alarm was blaring loudly, and he immediately put it on silent.

He shut his eyes and remained in bed for a few minutes longer before looking around and realising that Clara hasn't shown up yet.

Might as well take advantage of the opportunity to take a quick shower while she's not around. Whether she had told him the truth or not about having no knowledge of the en-suite is something he wasn't sure himself. On one hand, why would she do this and no the other, it does sound like another one of her crazy schemes.

He entered the small bathroom and stripped of his nightwear, only wearing his boxers now and looked around, making sure that the fairy godmother hadn't suddenly appeared.

As he was brushing his teeth, his eyes scanned the room once more.

One thing's for sure is that he's never ever staying at this hotel again.

After his morning routine, he turned around and faced the shower before silently praying she wouldn't show up while he was stark naked. He didn't need any of her comments at this hour of the morning.

With the final piece of clothing removed, the Doctor stepped into the shower, finally, at ease no one was going to bother him.

God did not answer his prayer that morning.

Unfortunately, and fortunately, depending on which side one is on, Clara transported herself into the hotel room, under the impression that John was still fast asleep. If only she had taken into account the meeting which had lasted a bit longer than usual.

The Doctor was washing his hair, eyes closed and when he finally opened them, he nearly lost his balance, eyes wide and wondering why the hell she showed up at that exact moment.

Clara discovered two things. One, he really does have a nice arse. Two, well, that's not something she's going to share with the reader. Use your imagination.

"What the fuck?!" John screamed as he scrambled out of the shower to get the towel hanging on the wall. He was still covered in in foam.

She grimaced before turning around, her back facing him. "Sorry!"

Brilliant. The image will be burned in her mind forever.

"And mind your language," she scolded, biting her lower lip.

He growled in response, wrapping the towel around his waist. "Well, excuse me for being surprised that someone decided to spy on me while I was showering."

"I wasn't spying on you," she argued, whirling around. He was far taller than her as she was reminded that very moment, a foot or two apart from each other.

John knew what he had seen. She was staring at him with those inflated eyes of hers and not moving an inch. "Really?" he muttered, annoyed that his hair was still covered in foam and hadn't been properly rinsed. "From the looks of it, I'd say you were admiring the view."

She needed to think of a snappy reply. Something sharp and witty. "In your dreams."

Well, good enough.

Most importantly, do not look down.

The staring contest lasted for a few seconds longer before the Doctor blinked and coughed. "Would you mind waiting outside?" he asked quietly.

That's her chance. "No," she said. "I wouldn't mind the view."

His mind immediately went blank. Nothing. It just stalled at her words. What should he do now?

Clara wanted to see how long they could last in this game and plopped down on the mattress, next to where John had slept before reaching for the remote and switching on the television.

"What…," he managed. "What are you doing?"

The fairy godmother shrugged casually before pointing at the television.

"I need to shower."

She shot him a blank look. "What does that have to do with me trying to watch 'Homes Under the Hammer'?"

He threw his hands up in the air before reminding her that the en-suite was see-through. The response he got wasn't a satisfactory one as it was along the lines of him not being her type, which he didn't need to be reminded of.

The Doctor glared at the Impossible Girl before heading back to the shower. "Fine," he grumbled. "Don't ever mention this ever happened and don't you dare take a peek."

Clara rolled her eyes and waved her hand, eyes glued to the television. "You didn't sound like you were complaining when you thought I was 'admiring the view'."

"You look like you were," he shot back, still holding the towel between his hips.

To his surprise, she laughed and planted her feet on the ground. "Don't worry, I'm leaving," she said, making her way to the door and stopping to halfway to face him. "And I know a good arse when I see one," she whispered just before unlocking the door and stepping into the hallway.

He would be lying if he said he wasn't slightly aroused by what she said. It would be a big fat lie.

Shower. That was when was reminded that he needed to return to the bathroom as shampoo was now slowly dripping down his neck. A cold shower is what he requires.

\-- 

Henry McTavish flashed a smile when he spotted the couple, as he now calls them, despite them telling they weren't. Why else would the pretty woman stay the night with her partner, then? A single suitcase, both arriving and leaving together. It's a no brainer what's going on.

"I hope you had a pleasant stay here," he began just as John reached the front desk while Clara decided to wait outside. "Was everything satisfactory?"

The Doctor nodded. "Fine, great," he answered, handing over the key card. There was just one thing that bothered him about the hotel, and he needed to know if all the rooms were the same. "There's just this one thing I didn't expect-"

"Oh, yes, I know exactly what you're talking about because every guest has been talking about it since we installed those a few months ago."

John didn't quite understand why anybody in their right mind would install a transparent en-suite in a hotel room. It's a strange concept.

"It can do wonders, can't it?" Henry murmured, chuckling. "State of the art and the very best, too."

Well, it's definitely settled. He's never staying at this hotel ever again.

"We hope to see you and your partner again in the future," Henry said with a smile once the check-out process was completed.

The Doctor could only nod before striding to the entrance.

Henry, on the other hand, put the key card away and then grinned. "I knew installing those bidets were a good idea," he murmured to himself. If only he knew what really happed to room's 432's en-suite bathroom.

Outdoors, the Doctor and Clara stood next to each other, neither of them moving or acknowledging one another. He decided to break the silence by clearing his throat. "Is there somewhere you'd like to go?"

"Sorry?"

"We still have a few hours to kill before the train leaves," he added.

The Impossible Girl pondered for a moment before an idea struck her. "You could give me a tour of your university."

He beamed. "It's not far from here."

"Great," she said as they began walking.

It was a silent walk to the university as neither of them spoke much, both still thinking about the incident that occurred earlier that day.

First, the snogging lesson which turned into three different snogging sessions and now whatever had happened in the hotel room. The Shower Incident.

Whatever next?


	14. Chapter 14

"Just tell me what the plan is," Jack begged as he followed Missy around the large office. She was opening one file cabinet after another, searching for something.

"You'll find out what it is when it happens," she answered, not quite acknowledging him.

Jack gave her his best pouty look. "Why can't you tell me now?"

There was a very good reason why and it was because he likes to overreact, especially when it concerns John Smith, or 'hottie hot hot' as he likes to call him. "You won't stop talking about it, that's why," she replied, perusing through a file before shutting it and tucking it under her arm.

He gave her his best puppy eyes, but it never worked. He knew it. She knew it. It was worth a shot anyway. "Could you at least give me a hint?"

Missy tossed the files she was carrying onto the desk and Jack immediately grabbed one and flipped it open. She was definitely sending a few fairies to the human world. That's his guess anyway. You never know what goes on in her mind. "Here's your hint," she retorted, settling down in her chair. "Start picking someone," she continued. "One that catches his attention."

Jack grinned as he took his seat next to his partner and began browsing through the files.

\---

"What did you do in Glasgow?" Bill Potts asked her babysitter and friend in curiosity and she rested her head on the desk and waved her legs back and forth.

John knew he couldn't reveal too much about the trip and remained silent for a few seconds, attempting to come up with a simple answer. "Nothing much," he began. "Just decided to take a quick break from work."

The child stared at him. "So you and Clara decided to get some alone time, then?"

The Doctor couldn't quite believe what he was hearing and lowered the guitar he held. "How did you know I travelled with Clara?" he asked before realising his mistake. He should have denied it. Then again, it probably would have lasted no more than ten seconds, knowing how smart the eleven-year-old in front of him is.

"I saw you leaving with her and returning with her."

"Maybe she was just accompanying me to the station."

The child scrunched up her nose in disagreement. "That doesn't sound right since she wasn't around."

Yes, no point lying.

"So did you take Clara sightseeing?"

Well, he certainly did something of the sort. They were there for a completely different reason, but he did take her to take bakery and they did walk around the city while trying to find the hotel. "Yes."

"So are you guys officially a couple now?"

Wait. Did everyone assume they were a couple? Well, obviously, but unofficially a couple? What does that even mean? "We are not a couple."

"Yet you took her to your hometown."

"Because she insisted I go."

"Why didn't you want to go in the first place?"

Oh, great. He just had to be stupid and let every word slip out of his mouth before he could think the better of it. Quick as a flash, he answered: "There's nothing to do there."

"So what did you and Clara do, then?"

John shrugged, continuing to strum the guitar strings. "Not much," he said. "Just walked around and ate food."

Bill grinned. "So you guys went dating then?"

He paused and shot her a look, earning a giggle. Where on earth is Clara? She had told him earlier she was popping into Tesco to get some snacks and has yet to return. If this continues for much longer, Bill might finally crack him. "It was a business trip."

"Did you at least have a good time?" the child inquired, not believing an ounce of his lie. "Mum always says that spending time with your loved ones, wherever it may be, should always be a memorable one."

The Doctor nodded. It was certainly a trip he wouldn't forget. First visiting his childhood home and then standing in the shower butt naked in front of Clara while she looked impressed, or at least that was what it looked like. She might have been disturbed and was just trying to up his confidence for all he knew.

The bell by the entrance chimed and the Impossible Girl strode in with a small carrying bag. "Sorry it took so long, but there was a long queue, but," she said, producing something from the bag. "I managed to get you the cookies, freshly baked!"

"Yay!" the eleven-year-old exclaimed before running past the counter and towards Clara. "Thank you!"

"Don't mention it."

It was then she noticed that the Doctor was deliberately avoiding her gaze. It looks like Bill must have asked him something. She took her seat took out a chocolate bar. "What has DCI Potts asked you this time?"

"Just about your trip to Glasgow," the girl answered, happily munching on her chocolate chip cookie. "I don't know why John is embarrassed about it."

Well, he had every reason to be since the incident in the hotel room. Now there's no possible way for him to think of anything else when his hometown is mentioned.

"Is he now?" Clara replied, pretending as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Yeah, he said it was a business trip, but I don't believe him."

The fairy godmother decided, that in order to satisfy the child's curiosity, she would at least tell her the partial truth. "Well, in a sense, it was a business trip," she explained. "John needed to… finalise a few business transactions, deals thingy, and then he gave me a very brief tour of the city."

The schoolgirl processed her words carefully. "If it was a business deal, then why did you go with him?"

"To help him out," Clara replied, glancing at John who was discreetly looking back at her. "He needed a bit of encouragement."

"So are you now his business partner aside from being his roommate?" Bill asked. "He must trust you a lot."

Oh. Dear. Lord. This child is something else. Far too bright. Far too bright for an eleven-year-old. "No, no," the fairy godmother said. "I'm just working here temporarily."

At the reminder of this, Bill frowned. "But I like having you around," she murmured. "You're a lot more fun than John, even when if he's not grumpy."

"Hey!"

Clara giggled and nodded at the girl. "There's hardly any competition when it comes to that."

The Doctor swivelled his chair around so that he faced at the entrance and resumed playing the guitar.

"You're not sulking are you?" the Impossible Girl teased.

He merely looked over his shoulder and shot them an icy stare. "I am a fully grown adult," he grumbled. "Why would I sulk and indulge in this so-called bantering – I'm against bantering."

Clara raised an eyebrow.

"If it makes you feel any better, you're a lot less grouchy now," Bill commented, laughing.

He tried his best not to smile. "It's impossible for me to not be grumpy when there's an eleven-year-old who's constantly interrogating me and a five-foot-two roommate bossing me around."

"It's because you're always so quiet!" Bill exclaimed.

Just then, the bell chimed and a woman, along with her son, entered the shop. The mother seemed like the average middle-class stay-at-home mother who likely drives a BMW. The boy was in total awe as he looked around, not acknowledging anybody else.

She made eye contact with John and flashed him a polite smile.

"Hello, welcome to the Doctor's Guitar Shop," Clara greeted but the woman still didn't take her eyes off John.

"Hi," she murmured, approaching the counter while her son pressed several keys on the piano. "My little Eddie here wants to buy a guitar."

John nodded. "What sort of guitar does he want?"

The boy's mother beckoned him to come up to the counter. "The one that this man has looks nice."

"Eddie?"

"Oh, hi Bill!" the boy greeted his classmate. "Cool seeing you here."

The woman smiled. "Looks like our kids are friends."

Great. He's going to have to clear another misunderstanding again. How much of this can he take? "I'm actually just her babysitter."

It didn't waver his potential customer one bit. "It's still very nice of you to look after her while also managing this shop," she murmured. "How long have you owned the Fender?"

Clara had absolutely no idea what was going on right now and she wasn't sure if she likes it even though she had every reason to be pleased with the current situation.

She seemed like the sort of woman John would be into. Knows her guitars, seems intelligent and is straightforward. Not to mention divorced. Oh, she could tell. The clothes were always a dead giveaway.

"Since I was 17," the Doctor replied, being more engaged in their conversation now that he learned the woman knows a thing or two about guitars. "Best thing I've ever spent my money on."

She nodded in agreement. "That's the sort of guitar that you can play on top of a tank and still look like a rock star," she commented. "Sandra."

He chuckled, surprising Clara. Since when is he ever this cheerful with a customer. Even Bill thought her babysitter's behaviour was strange.

"John."

"Anyway," the fairy godmother cut in, not wanting them to continue their conversation which would probably lead them to snog in public. "You said Eddie wants a guitar?"

"Yes, that's right," Sandra agreed, caressing her child's head. "An early birthday present from mummy and something that's far more valuable than the XBOX his father got him," she said, almost in spite.

Yep. Definitely divorced.

"So, what would you recommend for an eleven-year-old?"

The Doctor thought that it would be best to just show the catalogue to the boy and so he typed something on the computer and a moment later, turned the monitor to them. "Why don't you have a look at the catalogue first?"

Eddie beamed and reached for the mouse.

"How long have you played the guitar?" Sandra asked.

Clara mustered all the courage she had not to scream at the woman to stop her illegal flirting. Whatever the hell that meant. Where did that come from?

"Since I was a teenager," the Doctor answered. "My grandparents got me an acoustic guitar for my fourteenth birthday."

Sandra grinned. "Would you mind giving a live demonstration?"

Bill jumped up in excitement. She had never heard John play a proper song before. "Yeah, play us a song!"

The Doctor took a quick glance at the Impossible Girl. He could tell that something was wrong since her smile seemed a bit forced. "What would you like me to play?" he asked, eyes never leaving her.

"Anything you want," Sandra said, shooting heart eyes at him. "I'm sure you'll sound phenomenal."

There was one song that came to mind and he tuned his guitar before taking a few steps back where the amplifier was located.

Clara immediately recognised the melody. It was Pretty Woman. What caught her attention, however, was that he never glanced at anyone but her.


	15. Chapter 15

**20 minutes earlier**

"Just stick to the script we prepared for you and everything should work out fine," Jack explained to the fairy standing in front of him. "He might ignore you at first but the moment you start talking about stuff he's interested in, then it's game on."

"Chloe knows what she's doing," Missy commented, tired of how her partner kept trying to make sure their spy got everything right. He had been telling her the same thing for the third time in the span of two hours.

"Just taking precautions," Jack said. "We really want to make Clara jealous here."

Missy decided to reserve a snappy response to herself, not wanting to cause a scene as they were just a few metres away from the guitar shop.

"If he still isn't interested in you for whatever reason, just get straight to the point," she advised.

Chloe nodded in silence, wondering why her superiors wanted her to flirt with a human, to begin with. She knew it wasn't her place to ask, but her boss was clearly up to a scheme. She was infamous for breaking rules and forging new ones.

"And don't forget to ignore your colleague completely," Jack added.

Missy rolled her eyes before taking another glance at the shop. Just as she was about to give the order, she spotted a mother and child entering the shop. Well, there goes her move. "Standby."

"What?" Jack exclaimed as he whirled around. "There's no one- oh I see."

Missy contemplated her options. Send Chloe in any way and hope for the best or she could wait a bit longer until the customers leave. "Let's wait."

"You don't think-"

"Shut up," she grumbled. "Watch."

She had a feeling that the universe had plans of its own, not that she was complaining. Less work for her then and more time to enjoy the show.

\-- 

"That was amazing!" Sandra praised as she clapped her hands while the children cheered.

"I didn't know you could play like that," Bill commented.

"Your babysitter is really cool," Eddie said to his classmate.

Clara, on the other hand, remained silent, wondering what had just happened. Did he actually play that for her?

John decided to revel in the praises from his small audience by bowing, not realising for a single moment that Sandra was giving him puppy dog eyes. He merely wriggled his eyebrows at the star-struck fairy godmother. "Always wanted to be a rock star."

"So, Eddie," the boy's mother said. "Have you found what you're looking for?"

"Yep," he answered, pointing to a picture of a guitar on the screen.

The Doctor leaned against the counter to have a look. "I'm sorry to disappoint you but we don't have that guitar in stock," he explained. "I'd have to order it and it would probably arrive in a week."

"That's fine!" Sandra immediately said, happy that she would be able to return and meet the owner again. Maybe even ask him out on a date. "I'm sure Eddie wouldn't mind waiting, right?"

The boy nodded. "Yep, that's the only one I like."

John turned the monitor back to him. "Great, I'll place the order immediately and will get back to you when it arrives, but there is a deposit fee that you have to pay."

She said nothing but produced her platinum credit card.

Sandra decided to jump in on the opportunity to give him her number. "Please give me a call the moment it's here."

Oh, she surely would like that, wouldn't she? Clara could only exhale through her nose as the customer wrote down her number on a piece of paper.

Unknown to the Impossible Girl, Bill had been silently observing her and knew that something was wrong. It was obvious from the facial expression. She remained silent until both mother and son left. "Clara," the girl said. "I want to play chess."

The fairy godmother decided to yield to the child's request. Anything to get her mind off of John, but not before she makes a few comments. "Ok, could you get everything set up?"

"Ok," she replied before running off into the backroom to get the board and pieces.

"So, what are you planning to do with that," Clara questioned, trying to sound as casual as possible.

The Doctor furrowed his brows. "With what?"

"The number."

He looked down at the piece of paper on the counter, still not getting the hint. "Call her when her order arrives."

"Seriously?!"

Did he not notice what just happened?

Now he was wondering what he had done or said wrong. "What am I supposed to do then?"

"She was practically all over you!"

He paused, processing her words carefully. Was Sandra really hitting on him? Shouldn't that be a good thing then, for Clara? So why is she mad? "I don't know," he said truthfully. "I couldn't tell."

Her mouth went agape. "How did you not see that?!"

The Doctor still didn't understand why she was cross. "Shouldn't this be a good thing?"

"Of course, it is!" Clara answered through gritted teeth.

He involuntarily started biting his thumb. "Why are you like this then?" he asked just before Bill came back with a box. "Was the woman earlier hitting on me?"

The eleven-year-old paused in surprise. "I think she likes you, so yes."

"Oh."

Clara was both pleased and pissed at the same time. Pleased because it meant that he wasn't interested in that woman and pissed because it meant that he wasn't interested in that woman which meant that they'll be stuck in this loop forever. "I am done talking to you," she grumbled before turning around and flashing Bill a smile. "I have to warn you that I'm pretty good at this."

The child grinned. "Don't worry, I won't go easy on you."

John was left all alone with his confusing thoughts. He still didn't understand why his fairy godmother was angry. Surely, she would have been pleased a woman had given him her number and would have convinced him to text her or something. Unless, of course, she was jealous since this is the first time a woman had shown interest in him since ages ago. Then again, why would she be when he's not her type. Maybe she's lying?

He pouted and sank into his chair, feeling even more puzzled.

Just a few feet away from him, Clara and Bill were just beginning to play chess. It may look like they were making small talk, but it was quite the opposite.

"Were you jealous earlier?" the girl spoke in a hushed tone.

Clara immediately denied it, moving the knight. "Nonsense, where did you get that from?"

"The look on your face."

She had almost forgotten that the eleven-year-old in front of her is possibly a future DCI.

"I also think he was playing that song for you," she continued, moving her pawn forward. "John was kept looking at you."

If only she was human, then it wouldn't be so complicated. "Yeah," she finally admitted. "I think so, too."

Bill beamed when one of her two babysitters finally acknowledged the obvious. Why are adults so stubborn and difficult? Couldn't they just be honest with one another? Her mother always said that honesty is the best policy. "Maybe you should ask him out on a date."

Well, Clara was sure she had feelings for John, but how strong they are is a completely different story. She wasn't even sure how serious she is about it. There was always that thought which loomed over her. She is his fairy godmother. She should be completing her task, not succumbing to her own emotions. "I'm not sure if that's such a good idea."

"Why not?"

She sighed and looked over her shoulder where the Doctor had his feet kicked up on the counter. Idiot. A sweet idiot, nonetheless. "We can't be together."

Her statement confused the schoolgirl even more. "Why?"

What was she supposed to tell her? "It's because John is my… employer."

Bill squinted her eyes in suspicion.

That was a rubbish excuse and she knew it. Clara leaned forward, and whispered, "It would complicate things," she began. "I don't plan on being here for long and once… I've found a permanent job, I'll have to quit and move away."

This time, the child looked upset. "But I like having you around," she murmured. "You're the coolest person I know."

Clara could only flash her a sad smile. She would be leaving all this behind once her job is complete. It was odd to think of such a thing. She didn't even think twice of leaving her godchild behind. Then again, this is different. This case is different from all the rest.

"When do you have to leave?" Bill inquired in a sorrowful tone.

Even she didn't know that. "I'll be honest with you," Clara whispered. "Not a clue."

"What about John?"

He'll be happy once he's finally found, someone.

"I think he'll be even sadder when you leave."

The chess game had been completely abandoned now. There were only several pieces that had been moved from their spot. "I promise you he won't."

He won't even remember her once it's over.

Bill had no idea what she meant and despairingly rested her chin on the table.

"Did you actually beat a child so badly she's dejected over it?" John commented in a mocking shock.

The Impossible Girl merely lifted her hand and slapped his arm. "I am not mean to children and we were having our usual girl talk."

"Doesn't that mean you're gossiping?" he asked. "So shouldn't you be giggling?"

"That's not how it works," Bill mumbled.

"I didn't know Miss Oswald could be this evil, beating a child at chess."

"Oi!"

The child finally cracked a smile at seeing her two friends banter. She didn't want to think about the inevitable. That could wait. All she cared about now was having fun with Clara before she has to leave whenever that is, although there's always hope that she wouldn't have to. Maybe if they are finally honest with each other, she would stay.

"Why don't you and John play instead?" the eleven-year-old suggested.

The two remained silent, with John debating whether he should play the game.

"I'm sure it'll be a quick game," Clara commented with a smug look plastered on her face.

The Doctor set his guitar aside and took a seat in Bill's spot. He had a feeling he was going to lose embarrassingly, but at least it'll be to Clara Oswald.


	16. Chapter 16

Clara Oswin Oswald wanted to do nothing more than to bolt into the back room the moment she saw a man with a Parcelforce uniform enter the shop. He pushed a trolley that held a long rectangular box. She knew what it was and knew who it was for.

"I've got a package for John-" the delivery man wasn't able to finish his sentence as Clara stood up and walked into the back room where John was having lunch.

He looked at her with wide eyes when she merely crossed her arms, and he had thought she looked cross for a moment. Well, she seems cross. "Yes?" he said, feeling a bit sad that he wasn't able to take another bite of the chicken nugget.

"You have a parcel," the Impossible Girl informed.

Why on earth does he have to be the one to get it when he's eating? Should he ask her to do it or would that be a bad move? The Doctor had noticed how his fairy godmother had begun acting rather strangely since the past few days. Maybe he shouldn't have played her that song. Maybe he was being too forward. "Could it get it for me?"

"It's for your friend."

Yep, shouldn't have asked. The Scotsman stood up immediately and walked past her.

Clara stared at the table. Chicken nuggets, chips and a can of Pepsi. The diet of a twelve-year-old.

"Cheers, mate," the delivery man was heard saying in a hurry before leaving. "Have a good day."

"You too," John answered as he brought the box into the back room. "It's finally here."

The fairy godmother was tempted to ask if he was going to phone Sandra but refrained from doing so. She instead decided to focus on his gleeful demeanour. "You can't be that excited over a guitar."

"Why do you think I own a shop that sells just that and other musical instruments?" he chuckled, examining the box. "I appreciate every single of one of them."

She dreaded the moment he tells her to phone Sandra. She waited and waited, but to her surprise, John settled back down in his chair and resumed eating. "Thought you were eager to give your client a call."

He raised an eyebrow. He had no idea what he had done wrong. "I'm sure you're nice enough to spare me five minutes to finish my meal," he retorted. He had a feeling she was trying to set him up with Sandra. "What's your plan after you finish this job?" he asked out of the blue. "Do you have to work on another case?"

Clara was taken by surprise by the question and remained silent for a second. "No, this is actually my final job before I retire."

The Doctor raised both eyebrows. "Retire?" he repeated. "What happens when you retire?" he continued. "I didn't know fairies could retire - do you stop travelling here then?"

"Slow down," she laughed before sitting next to him and stealing a chip. "I stop working as a fairy godmother," she explained. "I'll just be a normal fairy in my world."

He was afraid to ask if that meant they would never see each other again and thought it was best to save the heartbreak for a later time.

"Why do you ask?" she murmured. "Are you going to miss me?"

"Who would miss a bossy five-foot-two fairy godmother?"

"You probably."

Their moment was interrupted when a loud ringing tore through the shop. A sound that both were familiar with. The telephone.

Clara raised her hand, signalling him to finish his meal while she answered the call. "The Doctor's Guitar Shop."

"Hi, it's Sandra," the woman on the other end of the line said. "I called in to find out whether Eddie's guitar has arrived yet and is John around?"

She kept her lips together, gripping the telephone a bit too tightly. "Yes, Eddie's guitar just arrived a few minutes ago," the Impossible Girl muttered. "John is busy at the moment," she added, locking eyes with him.

The Doctor nodded, grateful that she didn't hand him the phone. He then signalled her to hang up.

"Shame," Sandra sighed. "So when can I pop in?"

Never would be good, but Eddie would never get his birthday present then. "Um, tomorrow?"

"Brilliant, tell John I'll stop by after lunchtime."

Clara hung up and retrained herself from slamming the phone down. "She'll be here tomorrow after lunchtime," she announced, through gritted teeth.

The Doctor had his mouth slightly agape, wondering why she was acting so strange. "Are you ok?"

"Of course, I am, why wouldn't I be?" she replied and stopped him before he could continue. "And don't you dare tell me otherwise because if you do, I'll detach something from you."

Once more, his eyebrows lifted up. A part of him was curious to find out if she is indeed strong enough to be able to 'detach something' from him. "You haven't been yourself."

The Impossible Girl kept mum until she realised that he was right. She had been acting selfishly. If there's someone out there for him, then it would be her duty to help him, not keep him to herself. She sighed. "I guess I'm just… tired," she lied, stealing a nugget.

He pushed the box closer to her and ate their meal in silence.

\-- 

"Eddie is going to be thrilled when he sees this!" Sandra exclaimed as she examined the musical instrument. "Is there a carrying case that would recommend?"

"Yes, we have a few," John replied as he walked past the counter and headed for the section next to the amplifiers. He then glanced at her. "Hard case or just the fabric ones?"

"Hard."

Clara was certain Sandra was thinking of something completely different when she said that. The look on her face made it obvious. She tried resuming her work which John was too lazy to do: inventory.

The Doctor grabbed a dark brown case. "We have this, but it's a bit heavy."

"Something an eleven-year-old could carry, then."

"Well, I guess we're going to have to resort to the fabric mesh," he said, presenting her one.

It was obvious that Sandra didn't care much about the case as all she wanted was John's attention. All she has to do now is ask him out on a date. "I think this one will do," she murmured before following him back to the counter.

"Will that be all?" Clara asked with a hint of sarcasm.

Sandra didn't pick it up. "Yes, the red there reminds me of the one my brother used to own," she said, nodding to the guitar behind Clara that was hanging on the wall. "He used to hate it when I used his."

"You mean the Fender there?" the Doctor asked.

"He used to be, well, still is, a Fender fanboy."

The fairy godmother went to the PC and tried her best not to cringe. Whether that story is true or not is questionable, but it was clear as crystal Sandra was just trying to get John interested in her.

Not too long ago, Clara would have been thrilled with something like this. She would have pushed the idiot to ask the woman out on a date. Now? Not so much. She had every intention of retiring, but at the same time, she wondered what would happen if she decided to throw it all away and just stay with John.

"I much prefer Yamaha," the Doctor commented as he reached for the mouse.

"Speaking of Yamaha, any chance you could give me another show after, say, dinner?"

Clara bit her tongue, trying her best not to say a word. She needed to do this.

John blinked several times, not quite understanding what his customer was implying. "What?"

"Dinner, you and me," Sandra pointed out, finding it cute that he was oblivious to her move.

The Doctor automatically glanced at Clara, hoping her she would say something. He had no idea what to do or say. Well, he could say yes, but did he really want to go out with her?

The woman's face then fell. "Oh, I didn't know you two were together…"

"We're not," both denied immediately.

Her eyes lit up again. "Well, in that case, are you up for dinner?"

"Of course, he would be!" the fairy godmother cut in, wanting to scream. It was painful but necessary.

John, on the other hand, exhaled through his nose. He knew this was coming. It was probably going to end in disaster like all the other times. "Ok."

Clara was surprised by his response, under the impression that he was going to fervently reject the date.

Sandra grinned. "Brilliant," she squealed. "Does Friday at six sound good to you?" she asked. "I'll pick you up."

He scratched the back of his neck. "Yes, Friday at six is good," he murmured, avoiding eye contact with both women.

The customer collected her purchase, bid goodbye and left, pleased that was finally going on a date.

John and Clara were the opposite of pleased. "I could speak for myself," he muttered, making himself look busy by typing on the keyboard.

She put the iPad aside. The inventory update could wait. "I doubt you were going to say yes."

"I don't see why you have to rush through this," he said defeatedly, taking a quick glance in her direction.

The Impossible Girl rolled her eyes. "She was hitting on you."

"Yes, we've established that," he grumbled. "What bothers me is why you're acting like this."

She furrowed her brows. "Acting like what?"

He fumbled with his arms, trying to think of the proper word to describe her behaviour, mumbling incoherently.

"What?" she asked in confusion.

"It's as if you hate doing this," the Doctor finally managed to get his words together.

"No, I don't."

"Actions speak louder than words."

Look who's a wise guy now. "I can assure you that I am in no way, shape or form, despising this."

He paused to think. "Do female fairies go through a monthly p-"

"Finish that sentence that I will quite literally detach something from you," she said sternly.

"Sorry," he murmured. "That was the only thing I could think of."

The fairy godmother shut her eyes and inhaled deeply. She was going to get this right this time. She was going to give John his happy ending. By hook or by crook. "Just promise me to put a bit of effort into this date."

He stared into those inflatable eyes, knowing full well he couldn't say no. "Just half an ounce."

That was something. At least. "Deal."

He dropped his shoulders. Clara was probably rushing just so she could finally retire. He couldn't blame her. She's been in the field long enough. He couldn't act selfishly. If that was what she wanted, then he would help her. "What should I wear on Friday?"

She smiled. Although this time, he noticed that it wasn't one he was used to. This was completely different. One he couldn't quite place his finger on.

"I'm sure we can think of something," she replied before settling back down in her chair and resuming work.


	17. Chapter 17

John tugged the collar of his shirt for the fourth time that evening as he patiently waited for his date to arrive. It was a quarter past six and Sandra still hadn't arrived yet. If she had jilted him, he would have been fine with it.

"Right, do you have everything?" Clara asked as she strode into the room with several ties. "Wallet, phone?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, everything but the kitchen sink and what are you up to?" he asked, nodding at the ties hanging on her arm.

"What does it look like?"

The Doctor blew air between his lips and gave her a look. "Do I have to wear a tie?"

"Yes," the fairy godmother answered. "You're about to go on a date and since your date is late, you might as well make yourself look a bit more handsome," she said before realising her slip.

His eyes widened. "That's new coming from the one and only Clara Oswin Oswald."

No point denying now. "Well, you do look, you know, handsome for someone in his fifties."

"Ah, that's just a nice way of you saying I'm old then?" he commented, taking a tie and attempted to do the knot himself.

She could he was struggling a bit and decided to help. "For the last time, it's in this way, then to the left and then in again," she said, tying the tie around his collar. "There," she whispered before taking a step back to asses his appearance. The colour combination suited him. "I think it's a good match."

"This is another surprising twist," he commented, grinning. "My first attempt at picking an attire and the fairy godmother approves."

She took a step forward and smoothed the small wrinkles on his shoulders. "I can always find something wrong, but I'm cutting you a break this time."

"Sounds more like a lie to me," he muttered.

It was then at that moment the bell chimed. Both thought it would be Sandra walking through the doors, but it was none other than Bill Potts.

The eleven-year-old was surprised to see her friend all dressed up. What's more, is that were physically close to one another. "I left my pencil case," she explained, looking back and forth between Clara and the Doctor. She would have asked if they were planning to go out on a date, but John was the only one dressed up.

"John has a date," Clara explained as though she read Bill's mind.

The child still wasn't satisfied with that answer. "Ok, so why aren't you dressed up, too?"

The two remained silent for what seemed like an eternity.

"Well, it's because-"

"I have a date with Eddie's mother," the Doctor revealed.

Bill blinked once, twice and then she opened her mouth. "Clara was actually jealous when Eddie's mum came here the first time."

"Bill!"

"What?" John said confusion.

"She was jealous, and I know this because she told me."

"Bill!"

"What?" the Doctor repeated, more surprised than confused. "Is this true?"

She pursed her lips. Not now. Not when he has a date. Not when the so-called is the one who he should be focusing on. Not her. "It doesn't matter," she said quietly.

Just as he was about to argue, the bell chimed and all three looked at the source of the sound. Sandra. She stared at them. "Was I interrupting something?"

Clara forced a smile. "Nope," she said, earning a look from John. "Not at all."

Bill, on the other hand, remained quiet as she went to the back and grabbed her pencil case.

"I'm terribly sorry for my tardiness," she apologised. "I had a meeting with one of my clients that lasted a bit longer than expected – it always does when it comes to inheritance."

"Well, in that case, I don't think we should keep dinner waiting," she murmured, eyeing the Doctor up and down. The man looks good in anything, especially a suit.

He felt Clara gently push him forward and coughed. As much as he wanted to cancel the date, he knew he couldn't, to both women. "Yes, dinner," he mumbled, straightening his jacket before approaching his date.

As they walked out of the shop, John took one last glance over his shoulder, his eyes boring into Clara's.

The Impossible Girl knew of one thing. Her plan is now out of plan yet again. This time thanks to an eleven-year-old. Not that she's cross, but Bill's timing is just extraordinary.

"Oh, look at the time, mum's expecting me back any time now," the child commented as she thought she could evade the fairy godmother.

"Not so fast, Bill Potts."

She gave her a nervous look. "I think you should thank me rather than reprimand me."

Clara wasn't angry at the child per se. No. Far from it. Bill did what she was too afraid to do. "Relax, I am not cross."

"You look like it," Bill muttered under her breath and decided to change the subject. "Anyway, now that John knows how you feel, maybe he'll stop acting like a clueless penguin."

The fairy godmother pondered her options. She could ignore what happened earlier and just carry on with her work or she could talk to John about it.

"If it's of any help," the girl began. "John likes you and I know I've said this before, but I think how he acted earlier proved it."

"I… I can't do this," Clara said to herself. Or could she?

"Do what?"

"Nothing," she immediately dismissed it as the gears in her head began moving. What would happen if she were to bring this up to her superiors? Would they assign her to a different case? That would mean John would lose his memory of her. He would forget her completely and see her as just another stranger.

Bill arched an eyebrow. "You know what my mum likes to say."

"Honesty is the best policy," both said in unison.

She has a point. There's no harm in finally addressing the elephant in the room. Worst case scenario is him forgetting her and her dealing with the heartbreak.

"I'm willing to bet twenty quid the Doctor isn't enjoying his date," Bill chimed.

No doubt that the eleven-year-old would win the bet.

\-- 

"This looks nice," John commented as he surveyed the restaurant, unsure of what to say. He had been quiet throughout the journey and thought he might as well give a bit of effort. "I like the candles," he commented, eyeing the lit candles on the tables.

Sandra chuckled as she glanced around, wondering why no one had come up to their table as it had been quite a while since they were seated and handed out the menu. "Dined here before with my friends and it's never disappointed."

The Doctor nodded in acknowledgement before glancing at the menu again. He had already decided what he would be having, but what else was he supposed to do? Clara wasn't here to give him any sort of advice. As much as he wanted to spend more time with his fairy godmother, he had to allow her to retire.

"You seem awfully quiet tonight," Sandra commented. He also kept spacing out, but she decided to leave that out. It then dawned to her that perhaps she had been too pushy when she asked him out. That and there is a slight chance he fancied that girl at his shop. "If you-"

"No, no," he insisted, forcing a smile. "Sorry, just got distracted by work."

The lawyer had trouble believing him. She had been in relationships before. There was this look she recognised whenever they regretted something.

She was about to speak when a waitress approached them. "Good evening," she greeted. "Are you ready to order?"

They each ordered their meals and once the waitress was out of earshot, Sandra put her theory to test. "Have you been operating that shop in the same street for long?"

He shook his head. "No, I first opened the shop in King Street, but didn't last very long there due to the rent," he explained. "Moved to Ealing and then finally settled in Kensal Garden."

"So I take it you've just hired a new employee then?"

He paused and then squinted his eyes. "Yes, she just came in told me I needed to straighten the place out if I wanted the business to survive," he said, chuckling.

This is was the first time she had seen him laughing since leaving the shop. "So why are we here then?" she questioned in an amused tone. There was no hint of malice or spite.

John's face immediately fell. "Well, because you asked me if I wanted to have dinner?" he replied, smoothing his silver curls.

Sandra raised an eyebrow, sceptical of his answer. As much as their date is a disaster, she didn't mind it. It was a breath of fresh air compared to her previous ones. This is different. Fun yet friendly. She could be a couple's counsellor at this point. "Please, you were still eyeing her when he left."

The Doctor wanted to do nothing more than to bang his head on the table. The night had turned out worse than he had anticipated. Clara is going to kill him. "I was asking her to give me some last-minute advice."

Sandra leaned against the cushioned chair. "How long are you going to be in denial, John?"

He found it strange that the attention was mostly shifted to him throughout the conversation as his mind began connecting the dots. "Did you do this on purpose?"

"Do what?" she asked casually.

The lawyer was clearly playing a game and enjoying it greatly. "Why?" he asked. "Why go through all the trouble just to try and get me to confess?"

She shrugged in response. "She was jealous, wasn't she?"

His silent gave her the answer she was looking for.

"Who are you?"

"Doesn't matter," she murmured. "My name is too long and complicated for you to have the patience to pronounce it."

"Make it shorter."

"Let's not change the subject and focus on Clara for now."

He frowned. She couldn't be a fairy, too, could she? How would that explain her child? As he was about to question her, their meals arrived.

"What's stopping you from being honest with her?" Sandra asked calmly, cutting her steak. "And please, save your breath from giving me the obvious answer."

"Well, she stated clearly that I wasn't her type."

"She was lying."

"Her retirement-"

"Not really that relevant."

"She's looking forward to-"

Sandra raised both eyebrows. "If she's really looking forward to that retirement, she would have been completely fine with this."

John looked down at his plate. He wasn't even that hungry. "Who are you?" he repeated, looking up.

She thought it was better to get formalities out of the way before drilling some sense into the man's head. "Romanadvoratrelundar."


	18. Chapter 18

John stared at his so-called date in surprise, flabbergasted. She wasn't joking when she said her name was too long for his patience. "Romana, then, for short?"

Romana flashed him a kind smile. "Yes."

"Would you mind explaining to me what's going on," he demanded in a hushed tone so as to not attract attention from other patrons.

"I think it's quite obvious, isn't it?" she murmured. "You, Clara and the very thing that's not being addressed."

"She was jealous, big deal," the Doctor said, frowning. "Bill could have been lying."

"Why would she?"

Romana had a point. Bill didn't have a reason to lie and she wasn't the type of person to lie. Regardless, Clara had told him before that she wasn't interested in him. Then again, he had said the same to her and here he is now contemplating his feelings for her.

"There you go," the woman said. "Do us all a favour and get straight to the point with her."

"Are you a fairy, too?"

She set down the glass of wine and nodded. "Let's just say that I've been a silent observer and decided to jump in when everything came to a halt."

"Please tell me that you're not my second fairy godmother or something equivalent of that," he sighed. One fairy godmother is enough.

Romana shook her head. "I can assure you that Clara is your fairy godmother and not me."

"Then why are you doing this?"

"It doesn't matter," she explained. "What's important is that you stop dancing around each other and be honest."

As much as John wanted to question Romana further, he knew that it would be pointless. Why is there another fairy trying to meddle in his personal life?

"I'm not asking you to run back to your shop and snog her, although let's be honest here, that's actually what everyone wants," she continued, whispering the last few words.

"What?"

"Just tell Clara how you feel," Romana encouraged, taking a bite of her steak.

The Doctor shot her a look which implied he was hesitant in taking her advice. "What if-"

The fairy raised an eyebrow. "Trust me when I say that she feels just as strongly for you."

"How are you so sure of that?"

Romana considered her options carefully. She could reveal the truth, or she could just go with the flow. The only issue stopping her is John. She wasn't sure how well he would react.

"I'm losing my patience here with you talking metaphorically and playing this game."

"She fell in love with you before and it's happening again."

It took him a few moments to process her words and when he finally understood what she meant, he blinked. "What do you mean it's happened again?" he questioned. "Are you suggesting that Clara and I met before?"

Romana flashed him a smile. "That's exactly what I'm suggesting."

The problem is, he didn't have any recollection of meeting Clara beforehand. Nothing. He could only remember their first encounter in his bedroom.

"The first time you met her was actually during your final year at uni," Romana explained, flashing her teeth. "Don't you remember?"

\-- 

"Wake up."

John Smith could only groan in response as his head began throbbing. It was far too early for him to be up and about, especially after drinking all night.

"Wake up and I'm not going to ask you again," the bossy voice demanded just before his duvet was ripped away from him, exposing him to the chilly room.

He shot his eyes wide open and was greeted by the sight of a pretty woman. "What the-"

The young man immediately grabbed a pillow and covered his crotch.

Clara dropped the duvet and shot him a look which dared him to finish his sentence. "Don't cuss."

John blinked several times, snapping out of his drowsy state. How the hell did she get into his room?

"This is why you shouldn't drink irresponsibly."

He could only stare at her in confusion.

"Oh, right, where are my manners," she muttered. "Clara Oswin Oswald."

"Have we met before?" he managed. "How did you get in?"

"Magic," she answered. "No, we've never met before."

He still couldn't comprehend why she was in his room then. "Why are you here then?"

"I'm your fairy godmother."

There was a long awkward silence. "What?" he said. "That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"Your Scottish accent is the thickest I've ever heard," she shot back.

John ran a hand through his brown curls and looked around. Was he dreaming? That could be his only explanation. "This can't be real."

"Believe me, it is," she retorted, sitting down in a chair.

"Why are you here?"

Clara decided to get straight to the point. "You're struggling with uni and clearly not coping well since your, well, since your grandad-"

"Ok, I get it," he sniped.

"Clearly not a morning person."

"Clearly an escaped mental asylum patient."

The fairy godmother rolled her eyes. This was the first time anybody had ever called her that. "Ok, what do you want me to do to prove that I'm a fairy?"

"Where are your wings if you are one."

That was a comment she heard far too often in her lifetime. "Fairy godparents are nothing like the ones in fiction."

She made a good point. "You said you used magic to get in here," he said. "Prove it."

She smirked. His pig-sty of a room could use a bit of a tidy-up. "With pleasure," she replied and produced her trusty wand, a sonic screwdriver.

The next thing he knew, every object in the room began moving by itself as if they had all come to life, rearranging themselves neatly. Books, clothes, furniture. Just about everything.

John could only watch in amazement as his room quite literally tidied itself.

"Hope that crushes your doubt."

"I could be hallucinating."

Clara dropped her shoulders before a thought crossed her mind. "You cheated during a test back when you were eight."

He froze. There was only one person who knew he did such a thing and that was himself.

"Now do you believe me?"

She took his silence as a yes and beamed. "Great," she chimed. "I guess we can start over – Clara Oswin Oswald."

It took him a second to process what had just happened before his eyes. "John… John Smith," he murmured,

"Looks like you and I are going to have a lot of fun."

He doubted that considering how bossy she seems to be. He estimated that he could get her to leave in a week.

"If you're thinking of getting rid of me, I'd seriously reconsider that since you can't," Clara commented, flashing him a cheeky smile.

\-- 

"I… I can't believe this."

Romana shrugged. "It's a lot to process."

"Why didn't Clara say anything?"

"Why didn't you say anything either?"

It was then a thought struck him. She had no memory of their first encounter either. Otherwise, she surely would have at least mentioned it. "Oh."

"Yes."

Romana then began explaining that their memories had been wiped when the head of fairy godparents back then discovered that a human and fairy were in love. "Rassilon didn't fancy the idea of one of his fairies giving up her life to become a human," she stated. "It's the reason we are where we are now."

"Why didn't he approve of us?"

"Office politics," she answered. "Simple as that as he was aiming for a spot in the high council and didn't want a 'scandal' as he said, to taint his image, which is utter rubbish."

The Doctor looked down at his meal, unsure of what to say. If what Romana had said is indeed true, then he would have to talk to Clara about it. He wondered how she would take in the news.

"Just be honest with her," Romana advised, taking a sip of her wine. "I don't think I need to say anything more than that and this conversation should explain why your previous relationships failed."

"Worst case scenario is Clara storming off," she added and chuckled.

He supposed that it wouldn't hurt to take a leap of faith.

\-- 

Clara looked straight at the entrance of the shop and nothing else, anticipating John's return. She would have to ask him how his date went and there was a chance that he actually enjoyed it. Slim chance, but a possibility, nonetheless.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she spotted John. The bell chimed and she blinked her eyes a couple of times. How long had she been waiting?

He seemed surprised to see her. "You… the shop is still open."

It then dawned to the fairy godmother that she had forgotten to close the shop. "I was busy… checking your inventory," she lied.

He paused for a second. "Didn't you do that-"

"It doesn't matter," she retorted before changing the subject. "How was your… date?"

He shrugged in response, taking off the jacket.

The Impossible Girl had expected him to elaborate a bit more. "That's it?"

"We did talk a lot," he revealed, flipping the 'open' sign to 'closed'. "She, well, told me something."

Clara was unsure of what he meant and decided to remain silent.

The Doctor began biting his thumbnail. "I'm not sure where to start or say since I don't want you to run away."

She shot him a confused look. What on earth is he on about? "Just tell me everything from the beginning."

He supposed that revealing that Sandra's real name is Romana would be a start. "Her name is actually Romana."

"What?"

"Romana," he repeated. "It was actually longer than that and sounded a bit complicated, so it was just Romana."

"Romanadvoratrelundar."

"Yes, that."

It still didn't make sense why a member of the high council would travel all the way to this world and ask John out on a date. "Did she tell you what she was doing here?"

"More than that, actually."

She waited for him to continue, but he hesitated. "Well, go on."

"There's something I have to say first before that."

She furrowed her brows and crossed her arms. Why couldn't she get a straight answer out of him tonight?

"I…," he began. "I have…"

All he has to do is say that he fancies her. Short and simple, just as how Romana had taught him earlier. "I have a duty of care," he blurted, wondering what the hell he had just said.

Clara blinked several times. "What?"

"Sorry," he murmured before leaning forward and whispering the three words in her ear.

The Impossible Girl was completely silent. "As in…"

"Yes."

"Did Romana tell you to do this?"

She did more than that. She made him realise something that he had been fighting and ignoring for quite some time now. "Yes."

The fairy godmother took her time to process everything.

"Bill's right about what she said earlier," the fairy godmother confessed. "I was jealous."

John raised both eyebrows. Feeling elated and amused that Clara was jealous. "She is a clever girl, after all," he commented, earning a giggle.

Before he knew what was happening, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. He instinctively cupped her face with both hands.

"She definitely is," Clara whispered once they pulled away before a thought struck her. Where would they go from now? Does this mean her mission's finally complete? If so, then wouldn't that mean John would be back to square one once she returns to her world?

"Romana also told me something else," the Doctor said, catching her attention and slowly releasing her, as much as he didn't want to.

"What would that be?" she asked, smiling. It felt nice to be able to come to terms with her feelings for John. A weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"She said that we met before," he stated. "Over 30 years ago."

The smile faded. She had no memory of such a thing. "That doesn't make any sense, I mean if we did, then I would have remembered-"

He beckoned her to sit down first before continuing further and by the time he had finished his story, Clara was speechless.

"Surprise, bitches!" Jack exclaimed as he appeared out of thin air. "Sorry, I've always wanted to say that."

"Jack?!"

"It took you two long enough," Missy commented grumpily as she examined her nails.

"What… is happening?" John asked. "Who..."

The Impossible Girl shut her eyes momentarily. She had no idea either, but she was sure her superiors would clear everything up. Hopefully.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The penultimate chapter has arrived!

"You know, before we get serious, I just have to say that you are one of the universe's finest creation and if you hadn't fallen in love with Clara, I would have happily swooped in," Jack said, placing both hands on John's shoulders.

"Please remove your hands from me."

"Unwillingly, but I'll respect your wish," Jack replied with a grin. "So, where do you want us to begin?"

"Wait, so this whole thing about having our memories erased is actually true?" Clara asked as she had a difficult time believing so.

Missy shrugged. "Yes, and all thanks to Rassilon when he was in charge."

That would mean the story was about them. The fairy and human who fell in love.

"I was told by Romana that he wanted to be a member of the high council."

"Yep," Missy confirmed, examining a piano. "The problem with Rassilon is that he's one of those stuck-ups who think they're the only ones who are right."

They waited for her to elaborate further, but she simply gave them a boring look. "Can't be bothered to explain right now."

Clara inhaled deeply, trying to make sense of what was going on. "Right, what does any of this have to do with you?"

The bell at the entrance chimed and Romana entered. "Nothing at all," she stated.

John slumped his shoulders. "That's very helpful," he muttered sarcastically.

Jack then spoke. "Ok, I knew about the story, but I never knew it was about you guys until Missy here told me about it," he explained. "The whole having two head fairies instead of just one is a new policy implemented by Romana here."

"So that nobody suffers from a case of power trip," Romana added.

"Anyway, back to the point, we set you up so you could finally have your happily ever after and if you think about it, isn't that just romantic, I mean imagine the babies you'll produce."

"That's enough," Missy growled. "But's he's right, the first part that is."

Clara and John exchanged looks. It still didn't make sense why they were going through the trouble just to get them back together. There has to be more to it.

"What do you gain from all this?" the Doctor inquired.

Romana shook her head. "Nothing, I was just mad at Rassilon's cruelty and the injustice you and Clara had to suffer."

"I just like pissing the old rancid prune off because he's fun to piss off," Missy said.

"I just want you two to get married and have lots and lots of kids," Jack added, grinning and wagging his eyebrows.

"That's just very odd," John commented, taking a step away from Jack.

Clara, on the other hand, remained in her spot.

"Also, if you two are together, we can pass a new law which lifts the ban preventing a fairy and human from pursuing a relationship."

That sounded like good news to the Doctor.

"But obviously, you'll have to give up your life as a fairy and live as a human," Missy added.

That wasn't what he was expecting. He didn't want Clara to throw her life away for him.

"Fair enough," the Impossible Girl said, surprising John. "It will be worth it," she whispered, taking his hand.

"Are you sure about this?" he murmured. He didn't want her just to throw away her life for him. It wouldn't be fair. "What about-"

They needed to sit down and have a proper conversation about it.

She merely beamed. "As I've said before, it's just retirement," she said. "I won't miss out on much."

Their little moment was interrupted when they heard a sniff. Jack had been silently crying in the background. "I'm sorry, but this is just so beautiful," he managed, wiping a tear. "Your future kids are so lucky."

Missy glared at her colleague. "Could you please be emotional somewhere else."

Romana checked the time. She needed to get back to her fairy godchild who would return from the show with his father and step-mother anytime now. "I hope I've been somewhat helpful," she began.

"Would have been a lot more if you didn't speak in riddles," the Doctor commented, unaware of how rude it sounded until Clara elbowed his arm. "I mean, thank you."

"Thank you, Romana," the Impossible Girl said sincerely.

Romana smiled in response. "I wish you both all the happiness in the universe."

"You can thank us by getting **pregnant** ," Jack added. "Give this world more Peter – I mean, John Smith with a touch of Clara Oswald."

Clara and the Doctor stared at him awkwardly.

"I'm just going to stop you there," Missy said as she pushed him away.

"She won't lose her memory again, right?" the Doctor asked as it just occurred to him that Clara would become human.

Romana nodded. "No, rest assured that both your memories will be unharmed, though I regret to inform you that you will not be able to recover the deleted ones."

He wished there was a way for them to get those memories back. It was all such a blur in his mind. How did they fall in love? How long was she his fairy godparent?

Clara gently squeezed John's hand. "I don't think that matters since we fell in love anyway."

Missy and Romana exchanged looks. "However, we can't just simply let you roam free just yet," the former stated. "You will have to renounce yourself as fairy godparent."

"Right," Clara replied, forgetting about the rule.

"How long will that take?"

Jack shrugged. "It depends really, I mean she has to get approval from the high council first, which I imagine won't be that difficult since Romana is on board with the idea."

"And as for Rassilon," Romana continued as she knew exactly what the Doctor would say next. "It only takes three members of the high council to approve Clara's renouncement – two excluding myself, so it's a fairly simple process."

The Impossible Girl could tell that the man next to her wasn't entirely comfortable with the thought of her being away for too long. "Don't worry about me," she said. "I'm sure it won't be long."

"And if it is, just imagine the passionate se-" Jack said before being cut off by getting his chest elbowed. "That way, you can have kids quicker," he continued, despite being winded.

The Doctor straightened his back. "I suppose I can spend the time reflecting and trying to digest all of this."

"We're not going to ask her to return to Gallifrey tonight," Missy said. "But we do expect her to report back tomorrow."

"Thank you."

"As a gentle reminder, you can thank us by-"

Jack never had the chance to finish his sentence as both Romana and Missy dragged him to the entrance of the shop. "You seriously need help," Missy grumbled.

"I bid you farewell," Romana said as she helped drag Jack out of the shop.

Jack then mouthed 'make babies' before grinning.

Clara and John silently watched as all three left and once they were out of the sight, the fairy godmother slumped her shoulders. "That was…"

"Interesting."

She had heard stories of how straightforward and flirty Jack can be, but never did she imagine he would be like this, asking them to have children, nonetheless. "Would you mind telling me the story again?"

"Story?"

She tugged his arm and led him to the flat upstairs. "Yes."

"You mean how we first met the first time?"

The Impossible Girl beamed. "Yeah, it's funny how our first meeting then is more or less similar to the second one."

He chuckled in response, never letting go of her hand. "What, you rudely waking me up?"

"Just trying to enforce a good habit in you."

"By giving the impression you broke into my flat?"

She opened the door and once they were inside, turned around to face him properly. "I didn't even need to do that."

It was still a bit surreal that they were the story that floated around in her world. What are the odds?

"Clara," John said, snapping her back into reality. "Are you absolutely sure about this?"

She got on her toes and gave him a kiss. "Is that reassuring enough for you or do I need to give you another snogging lesson?"

He grinned. He definitely wouldn't mind receiving a lesson right now.

\-- 

"How long will she be away?" Bill Potts questioned with a hint of sadness.

John racked his brain for a proper response. He wished he could give her a definitive answer, but he couldn't as he had no idea when Clara would be back or if she had changed her mind. He couldn't blame her if she did change her mind. It has been almost two weeks since she left, and he was missing her terribly. "I'm not sure."

"What do you mean you're not sure?" Bill replied, frowning. "I miss playing Uno and chess with her."

He blew air between his lips. "I've told you before, Bill, that Clara needs to see over some personal matters."

"What does that even mean?" she retorted, returning to her homework.

If only she knew that Clara is a fairy godmother. Well, was now.

"Did you say something to make her run away?" the eleven-year-old speculated.

His mouth was agape. "No, I can assure you that I did not scare her away."

"So why did she leave or are you lying to me?"

The Doctor could only sigh in defeat. He might as well give her a partial truth as that will finally stop her from grilling him any further. He couldn't take it anymore. "Ok, fine, you win," he began. "Clara is actually moving some of her belongings from… Blackpool to London."

The child remained silent for a moment.

"She's moving in with me."

Bill's eyes lit up immediately. "She's moving in with you as in living with you indefinitely and not until she finds permanent employment?"

John took a sip of his hot chocolate. "Yes."

The eleven-year-old grinned. "Does that mean you and Clara are a couple?"

He smiled at the memory of her giving him a snogging lesson the night before she left and the 'I love you' that they had said to one another. "If I say yes, will you stop questioning me?"

"Maybe."

That was good enough for him since she could have just said no. "Yes, we are," he confessed. "Or at least I think we are."

"Yay!" the girl exclaimed, raising both arms.

He couldn't help but chuckle at her response. "Why does it matter to you so much?"

"Because you guys are so obviously into each other and it's really stupid not acknowledging it."

She definitely has a point, not that he will admit it. "Right, now that that's finally over, please return to your homework."

"Did you at least act like a good boyfriend and call her?"

He opened his mouth. Fantastic. How's he supposed to answer that question? He could just tell her the truth that he hadn't heard from her since and get an earful from her, but that's not something he's looking forward to.

Bill patiently waited for a reply before her eyes shifted to the entrance as she spotter a figure approaching.

The bell chimed and John immediately turned around, hoping for the best but his hopes her dashed when he saw that it was only Moira.

"You look like you've had quite the interrogation," the woman commented with a chuckle.

"You're early today, mum" the child commented as she packed her belongings.

Her mother shrugged. "Restaurant closed early because the owner's throwing a party, so I managed to get everything done earlier than expected."

The schoolgirl walked to her mother, but not before pausing and locking eyes with the Doctor. "You should call her."

He really wished he could.

"Oh, Clara's still away on leave, is she?"

"Yeah, she's moving in with John," Bill explained.

Moira grinned. "About time, eh?"

"I hope this stops her," he said, pointing at the eleven-year-old with his eyes. "From telling me to do this and that because Clara is already bossy as she is."

The girls laughed in response.

"Bye, mate and thanks for looking after Bill."

John said nothing as he watched mother and daughter walk out of the shop, wondering when Clara would be back.

"You think I'm bossy, do you?" a familiar voice behind him said.

The Doctor's lips curved upwards into a smile, but he wouldn't dare to face her just yet, fearing she might disappear. "Bossy and short."

"Here we go again," Clara muttered before letting out a squeal as John suddenly whirled around and lifted her up into his arms and twirling her around.

"I thought you weren't a hugging person," she muffled into his shoulder.

"This isn't a hug," he replied.

"You act like you haven't seen me in weeks," she joked once they had pulled away. "It's only been two days."

"What?" he said.

She knitted her eyebrows. "Hang on, how long has it been for you?"

He decided against telling her since it didn't matter anymore. "It's not important – doesn't matter."

"How long?"

The Doctor broke eye contact. "Two weeks, almost two weeks."

The Impossible Girl shut her eyes. "Jack."

"That makes sense because he did mention doing something like this."

They stared at one another before bursting into a fit of giggles. "I suppose it worked since you clearly miss me."

He sat down in his favourite chair, next to where his guitar was leaning against the desk. "I wouldn't go that far."

She leaned playfully against the counter. "Why did you hug me then?"

"It wasn't a hug," he denied weakly.

"Shouldn't you do something better than that?"

His eyes widened.

"Kiss me you idiot," she said, inching closer to him. "I can see Jack got to you."

He pouted. "Let's not mention him because it's ruining the mood."

She laughed before bending down and kissing him. It finally felt nice to be back with John. No deadlines, no wondering if he'll ever find his happily ever. Nothing. Just them finally together.

"So does this mean you're here… for good."

"No, I'm just here to say goodbye to you," Clara replied sarcastically.

The Doctor could only flash her a grin before he captured her lips, making sure to put the lesson she had given him to good use.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the epilogue! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this story. I hope you had a wonderful time reading as much as I did writing this from the beginning until the very end. Some people have also asked me if I have a new story planned and I can happily say that a new fic will be released in the near future. More information will be released soon, so if you're interested, stick around!

John Smith stirred in his sleep when he heard the sound of water running in the en-suite. He lifted his head from the soft pillow and reached for the watch sitting on top of the drawer. A few minutes before his alarm goes off.

He rested his head on the pillow again and shut his eyes, but quickly realised that he wasn't able to fall asleep. There was only one thing left to do.

The Doctor sat up and scratched the back of his neck, glancing at the door to the en-suite. He smiled. She would always be up early to make sure that everything ran like a tight ship. Too bad his wife still wouldn't admit that she's a control freak.

With a contented sigh, he climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom, not bothering to knock the door.

A few minutes into brushing his teeth, John heard the shower curtain being drawn and his wife stuck her head out with a smile. "Someone's up early."

He turned his head and froze at the sight of her, forgetting whatever it was he was doing.

"Like what you see?" she teased.

It didn't matter how many times they had had this same incident he would always, always be entranced. It was then his brain started working again and he brushed his teeth quickly.

"Like would be an understatement," the Doctor murmured as he took off his nightwear.

Clara waited for a moment before pulling him into the shower, both giggling like a bunch of teenagers. She got on her toes and kissed him as he pulled the shower curtain.

\-- 

"I'm surprised no one has screamed in terror yet," John commented as he got dressed in a pair of jeans and t-shirt. "You'd think that they would be arguing by now," he continued, watching his wife dry her hair with a towel. He couldn't help but eye her up and down despite being in a bathrobe.

"I wouldn't say that too quickly if I were you," Clara said, still all smiles. "Though it would be nice if they're still asleep."

He grinned, approaching her. "Some peace and quiet, finally," he whispered before giving her a quick peck.

Just before he could pull away, she wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened kiss. A little quickie right now wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"Mummy!" a voice shrieked throughout the flat. "Daddy!"

"I really spoke too soon," the Doctor sighed as they immediately pulled away.

She shrugged, laughing. "Told you."

At that very moment, a girl of no more than five-years-old ran into the room, tears streaming down her face.

Both Clara and John knew exactly what had happened.

The girl hugged her father and cried into his t-shirt as he gently stroked her brown curls.

"Malcolm!" the mother called, exchanging looks with her husband who was comforting their daughter.

"I didn't do anything!" a child's voice from the hallway said.

Clara crossed her arms, putting on a stern look. "Get over here, mister."

Slowly, their eldest walked into the room, a sheepish smile on his face. There was no doubt that their son looks identical to his father, anybody with eyes could see that, but the moment he smiled, it was all Clara. "In my defence," he began, hoping that sounding a bit more like an adult would get him out of trouble. His mother raised an eyebrow and he immediately stopped talking, glancing at his father in hopes he would help him. Too bad he was just as terrified of arguing against the true bossman of the house.

Vicky's crying only grew louder.

"What did you tell your sister this time?"

Malcolm stared at his own two feet. He was in so much trouble.

"Just tell us the truth, Malcolm," John spoke, lifting his daughter in his arms. He then patted the empty spot between him and Clara on the mattress. "Come on."

"He's a meanie!" the four-year-old child said, sobbing and shooting daggers at her brother. The Doctor couldn't help but smile. She reminds him so much of her mother.

Malcolm pouted just as he sat down next to his father. "I only told her a story."

"About the Cybermen again?"

"He said, he said that a Dalek was going to kidnap me tonight!"

Malcolm chuckled in response but stopped when his parents looked at him. "It was just a prank."

"The problem right now is that your sister's crying," Clara explained, hoping her son would see his mistake. "Pranks are fun, but only when they're harmless."

"What your mother said," John agreed, relieved that Vicky was no longer crying. It was then he realised that his wife was staring at him. "What?"

"Whose idea was it to make up stories about Daleks and Cybermen?"

The Doctor immediately broke eye contact and looked away from his wife. "I think you're diverging from you know, the point you were trying to make earlier."

Clara rolled her eyes before she sighed. "Malcolm, what do you have to say for yourself?"

The eight-year-old slumped his shoulders and glanced at his younger sister. "Sorry for scaring you, Vicky."

The child hugged her father and continued to glare menacingly at her brother with watery eyes.

"Vicky..."

"No more Daleks?" the four-year-old whispered.

Malcolm pouted. "Fine, no more Daleks, but you said nothing about the Cybermen."

The mother thought it was best she said something before the situation escalated further. "Right, who's hungry?"

Hearing the prospect of food, Vicky's eyes lit up. "Me, me!"

"Can we have pancakes?" Malcolm inquired. "And can I make the batter?"

His mother ruffled his curls. "Pancakes it is," she replied, beaming. "And of course, you can."

John kissed Vicky's head before he set her down and watched as his children run out of the bedroom.

"Our kids are something else," his wife commented as she shut the door and quickly dressed.

"I bet they get that energy from you."

"I have proof of what you were like as a child."

The Doctor raised both eyebrows.

"Well, used to."

Ten years. Almost ten years had passed since she came into his life for the second time. What a blissful ten years it is and still counting. To say that he loves his wife would be an understatement of the century. As much as it was a pity that they were not able to recall anything from when they first met, his wife had again reassured him that it didn't matter. They'll just make new ones.

He chuckled before reaching for her hand and planting a soft kiss in her palm. "Thank you for giving me such wonderful children."

"Thank you for exactly the same," she replied before an idea struck her. "Hang on."

His smile immediately dropped. "What?"

"Why are you suddenly being so affectionate and appreciative?"

He was surprised by her questioned and took a moment to process her words. "I thought I'm always like this."

"I barely notice any grumpiness."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not grumpy," he said grumpily.

"There it is," she laughed before pecking him on the lips. "Come on, the kids are waiting," Clara murmured, tugging his arm.

John could only smile in response as he followed his wife into the kitchen where they were greeted by the sight of their children covered in flour.

Just your typical Saturday morning with the Smiths.

**The End**


End file.
